Wanted P.A.S.

Tags

attention, clown, dachshunds, Family, hunting, life

Yes P.A.S. stands for a Professional Attention Seeker. Actually we have two such professionals living with us for the last 13 years. They are very good at getting your attention, efficient, do get results, not necessarily to your liking, but that is not the point.

Since we often mention how good their lives are and they have to earn their living, so they tell us we are professionals at getting your attention 24/7 and that is true, so what else do you want.

Our two, you may have guessed are Nick and Nora, our little wirehair Dachshunds. Like all of their breed, they are stubborn, never forget and pig headed about what they want. Even when you think they forgot, no they have not, they are waiting for the right opportunity, knowing that humans are fickle and forgetful. They also tend to want to control situations no matter what, it is easier to just give in. They love their routine and know it by heart, if you forget, they will remind you, no worries. Funny how they never remember commands but remember all manner of other details in their routine. Food and treats are no.1 priority and so are petting and getting pampered.

That is a wirehair dachshund hunting wild boar in Germany. A normal dachshund was bred to hunt, the wirehair is a more intense version. In Italy they are also used for this activity, Nora who comes from a long line of hunting/ tracking dachshunds has all the genes and since birth has displayed those traits of character. If we had wanted to, the breeder in Capena, Tiziana Tola would have trained Nora and they start usually around 6 weeks old. The wire hair is very popular in most European countries, Poland, Hungary, Austria.

The German breeders who started the breed sometimes did not pass down how they did it. It took hundreds of years and many generations of breeders to come up with what we have today.

If you want a fearless, brave and determined hunting dog get a wirehair dachshund.

Having said this Nick is from a line of show dogs and though he too could be trained to hunt and he is very good at learning quickly what you want him to do, he is not as intense as Nora. In fact with Dachshunds the female is usually dominant.

We had a short hair Bundnie and a long hair Reesie, they are more family oriented and home bound. But remain attention seekers nonetheless, they are also very funny and clownish to get your attention.

1. They can take whole day to pee, must find the right spot.
2. They can be irritated if they do not get proper attention from you.
3. They are very curious knowing everything that has been going around.
4. They are very lively and playful.
5. They can be a perfect watchdog if provided with the proper training.
6. They can be your best friend.
7. They will always be there to cheer you up if your mood is off.
8. They can be there with you if you are sick.
9. They love to sleep on your lap or in bed with you.

End of Fiscal Year

Tags

Birthday, dachshunds, Nicky, PEI, taxes, tourisms

The Federal Government Fiscal Year in Canada is March 31. We arrived in PEI in and around that time 6 years ago. So now it is time for updating insurance etc. and last year I had a nasty surprised from my broker who increased my car insurance without warning or explanation. So I enquired and was told that the Government had authorized the increase, I smelled a rat and thought it is not so. This is not how insurance companies operate or set premiums. I also had problems with them in the past with getting answers to questions or just a call back. Even if you went in person, no one could see you, we will get someone to call you which never happened. So I decided this year to find another insurance company and CAA sent me a letter about insurance. I have been a member for decades and always got good service from them.

Papers are ready for income tax which is due also at this time, this is Spring Season in Canada. The first cruise ship arrives on 22 April, a first in 24 months, tourist operators are all excited and this comes on the heels of a piece of investigative journalism exposing the exploitative nature of restaurants, bars in general with low pay, no benefits and very long hours, 14 hour days is common. lots of abuse from owners and patrons alike. The tables are turned now, the shortage of staff is a very real problem and the same owners are crying in their soup. Given the obscene profits during the short but lucrative tourist season, I wonder how many will pay attention and reform their business to attract staff and train them properly. Not all restaurant and bar owners are crooks but there is a sizeable group. The tourists in town don’t know but the locals do and we avoid such places.

Birthday week for me, two cakes ordered from my favourite cake maker. One is an orange flavoured cake and the other is a Moka (coffee) style. More activities are planned of course, stay tuned for details.

This morning I noticed that Nicky has an irregular heartbeat, he has always had a heart murmur but this seems different and I am worried. So I will give the Vet a call, maybe she can help. He is 13 years old and he sleeps a lot, though he also has energy when required. He is definitely an old dog.

Mr. Nicky

Looking back

Tags

Cheese, dachshunds, life, market, PEI, Quebec, tulips, Vanco

I learned yesterday that 50 years ago the movie the Godfather premiere, is that possible, I was 16 yrs old and remember seeing the movie and thinking how horribly violent it was. Not like the Hitchcock movies where the violence was always implied like the music or lighting or blood in water.

Today FB reminded me that this week in 2009 we went to Capena to pick-up Nick and Nora who were 9 weeks old to come and live with us. They were and still are the cutest and funniest puppies, it is said that dogs are clowns and make our life enjoyable.

We are already past the halfway point in March, time is going supersonic it seems. I left a message with our accountant today so she can do our income tax. I never learned how to do it myself, it is not complicated but I am lazy and prefer have someone do it for me. She can also file automatically with Revenue Canada.

At the Club one of the member is a retired Commodore of the Royal Canadian Navy, who commanded his own war ship. Today HMCS Halifax left for the Baltic Sea to join our NATO mission in support of the Baltic States. Jim told me on Friday night that if he was 20 years younger and in good health he would be back in service in a flash. He really misses going out to sea.

HMCS Halifax

I went to the Farmer’s Market today and now that most restrictions are lifted it was the first normal market day in 2 years. There was lots of people and business was brisk. I stopped at the Cheese counter, they have the most beautiful selection of fresh cheeses. They bring them in from Quebec where there is a well established cheese making culture. They also import from France and UK. Strangely their prices are better than the grocery store where all the cheeses are manufactured from large companies and wrapped in plastic. When she sells her cheese, she wraps them in wax paper to keep them moist and fresh, which is the way to do it. All the cheeses are sliced in front of you, I got a slice 200gr of Brie, I also got 200gr of Morbier which is a cheese that has a trace of wood ashes in the middle and a slice of Emmental. I think next time I will get some of her high quality Burrata and some Raclette which is a wonderful cheese you melt and serve with boiled potatoes as they do in Switzerland. I also got deep purple tulips, grown here on the Island by VANCO a Dutch company, they are now in season and the variety of colours is amazing. I also got at the Butcher some veal schnitzels and some Bratwurst made by the butcher. I then went to the fishmonger and bought 2 pieces of Atlantic Salmon for dinner. I also bought some bread at the Bakery which is made daily at 3am and ready for sale by 9am it is still hot to touch and smells wonderful.

Today was a beautiful sunny day and the last day of Winter. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring and it feels and smells like it.

Vanco Tulip Farm in Stratford just minutes East of Charlottetown PEI.

Foods good and bad

Tags

dachshunds, dogs, economy, Food, Oil, Ukraine, war

To continue with my story about Nicky and Nora, Nick will not jump on anything, so I have to lift him up unto the sofa. Nora just jumps and is very independent. Nick is the whiner, not only do you have to lift him up, he then expects you to tuck him into his blanket and say a few soothing words and a cuddle. Nora needs no help and she keeps one eye on you at all times, Nick falls asleep. He is happiest if I am sitting next to him and he snuggles up in his blanket and I put my arm over him. Then he feels perfectly safe and falls into a very deep sleep and dreams. Last night he was sound asleep when all of a sudden he starts to dream and he huffs and puffs, his face twitches, his eyebrows move up and down and he starts to have muffled barks and growls, his claws come out. I do not wake him up it’s his dream. It passes soon enough and when he wakes up, he looks at me as if to say, where am I. Nora also dreams and also has these little episodes, we always wonder what they are dreaming about.

About food, when shopping at the grocery store I am continually surprised that we have so much on offer, from frozen foods of all kinds, to a large variety of meatless products, natural, bio, gluten free, halal meat, we do not have kosher on the island despite our Jewish community of 260 people. Then the ancient grains and other combinations. Apparently ancient grains are so much better for you, your ancestor the cave guy ate them all the time. There are a lot of food fads around and they do not last. What about these doctors who beg you not to eat this or that fruit or vegetable, where does that come from? There are a lot of scams out there.

On instagram there is a plethora of physical fitness, training instructors who constantly push diets, eat this and eat that. Do’s and don’ts, carb and protein, etc. I simply cannot pay attention to any of it. Also most of these guys are under 30, there entire life is at the gym, morning, noon, night. When not at the gym they travel to Mexico or Thailand for a vacation. I found them vacuous during the height of Covid, it was party, party in packed discos and now with war in Europe, they look mindless, their lives appear out of any real context, it’s still party time, not a care in the world. They must all be millionaires or….

What is also the fascination with Dubai? I don’t get it. To me Dubai is and was a duty free city and nothing else. It is all about shopping for luxury products and cars. Again why would you want to live there for an extended period of time, as a young person. It is all very strange.

Gas in PEI is now $7.90 a gallon. the price went up another .10 cents this morning. It had gone up .12 cents 2 days ago and I am sure it is going to continue to rise even more. The big question here on the Island is what to do, people love buying big gas guzzlers, F-150 trucks and giant SUV, you can well imagine the cost now at the pump. It is all about putting priority on status symbols. An interview this morning on the radio, asking people will they consider buying an electric car, no comes the reply, this hike is just temporary. HELLO!!!! no it’s not, but they will find out soon enough with the war in Europe and the disruption it brings to the world economy. Next came a report on the price of food, Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe and Canada is a huge producer of wheat, we had a very bad harvest in the last 2 years due to climate change, guess what, food prices will continue to climb. This with rising interest rates will create a storm for many who have over extended themselves. Economists have shown that the average Canadian for every $1.00 earned owes $1.64 in debt. How do you get out of that one? Too many hope the Government will provide a miracle cure. I am always surprise how few understand basic economics.

Dachshunds

Tags

dachshunds, dogs, life, Travel

For the past 32 years we have had 4 Dachshunds, from smooth to long to wire hair.

They all came from various places, the first one was born in Cairo, Egypt, the next one was born just outside Chicago, the two present ones were born in Capena, just outside Rome.

They all travelled extensively with us, probably our first dachshund Bundnie did travel quite a bit from Egypt to Canada and back and then to Poland to Canada and then to Chicago and back to Canada. A lot of her travel was done with KLM who had a very solid reputation with transporting animals. The worst was Air Canada who pay no attention to live cargo and have all manner of ridiculous rules.

Yes we do treat all of them very well and they know it. Just this week we were at the Vets to make sure that all was well with Nicky and his eyes and with Nora and her health in general. Yesterday I was at the pet store to pick up some food for Nicky and they no longer have the brand I would usually buy for him and spent a good deal of time speaking with the sales person about various options. Dog food is not cheap and quality mix of ingredients is important.

The thing about Dachshunds is how clever they are and stubborn. They are little prima donnas and know what button to push to get their way. What I find amazing is the routine they have developed with us. An example, I have to give Nicky eye drops x2 a day, Nora watches very carefully what I am doing, then she wants a cookie for watching. You cannot say no, impossible, she will stomp her paw and give you dirty looks, even ignoring you or sulking. Same in the kitchen, she expects and gets, so does Nicky a treat of anything we cook or prepare, lots of modulated wining. So we think of ourselves as their personal attendants from sun up to sun down. It’s a full time job.

On Instagram I follow quite a few sites with Dachshunds in Europe, they are all Wire Hair, lots of mountain hikes and running, something our two do not do, they have turned into couch potatoes. This February they are 13 years old.

They also know our two different approaches to their demands and wants. With Will they are more willing to whine and complain and they know he will give them what they want. With me it is different, they seem to know that I have no patience and will not give treats for whatever reason they can come up with, so they simply go to Will instead. I took them to the groomer last month in Kensington about 40 minutes away. Both were very quiet in the car and slept on the way. Will has accompanied me on some occasions and then both will fidget and whine. You have to wonder what goes on in their little heads.

Our four dachshunds were all very different in character and temperament, they were and are quite a presence in the house.

This and that

Tags

dachshunds, life, Nora, PEI

So I went with Nick to the vet for his eyes and I am returning with him next week for a follow up.

Going through old photos tonight on my computer I have one of Nick on 23 March 2021, his eyes are fine, no problems with cataracts, by June he had a problem and it has been progressing quickly since.

We got our Flu Shot yesterday, no after effects. Now with the weather getting colder and the first North-Eastern wind storm tomorrow at 50Km per hour, this tells me it is time now to phone the garage to have the tires changed to winter and get a tune up.

Evenings are strangely quiet, no cars and no one on the streets. We went out dining last night with friends at one of the few open restaurants in town, it was full and we had reservations. People love to dine in groups of 6 or more which I find unpleasant. Four people for dinner is plenty in a restaurant. I noticed also that the menus have been simplified if you can it that, soup, salad, sandwiches, pasta, fish and chips, sirloin steak. It reads like a lunch menu. The dessert lists is very simple, always a date toffee pudding, a chocolate cake, a cheese cake. It was good but nothing more.

Our Nora who comes from a long line of European champion tracking wire hair Dachshunds, is always on the hunt and is our guard dog. For a 12 lbs dog she has a very loud bark. She is in the habit of trying to eat just about anything on her walks, two morning in a row, she has been sick because she ate dead leafs or bark or whatever she thinks looks good. So this morning she got a good bath and her blankets where washed. She does not like the bath but this time around she was easy about it. She is very funny and this is why we find her so endearing.

She is quite jealous of Nicky and does not want him to get too much attention, she gives out dirty looks if she gets jealous. At night Nick goes to bed at 10pm it’s his habit and he does it without being prompted. Nora loves to bundle on the sofa and she would much prefer to just sleep there if she could have her way. So now at night we have this game, she will go to her kennel to sleep and get her cookie or her home made baked liver treat. Close the lights and she starts to whimper, we come and have a look, she runs to the sofa in the living room, all the while giving us the sad pleading look. We bring her back to the kennel and give her another treat. She starts again this whimpering, she has a one track mind and is good at manipulation to get her way. Nicky is sleeping ignoring all this nonsense. Eventually, she goes to sleep, but not before making her point. It is a great game.

Nora

Nicky says thank you

Tags

Canada, dachshunds, elections, PEI

Well our Nicky is feeling better and he is a little tired of the rice and veal diet. But being born in Italy veal is sort of the thing for him. Nicky was happy for your good wishes and says in his native Italian, mille grazie a tutti.

Other items, well we are back to having to wear face masks everywhere indoors now. The big problem is Alberta out West where the hospital system is about to crash due to too many new Covid cases and the very low vaccination rate. Alberta is our West Virginia, very backwards. The Premier Jason Kenney use to be my Minister at the Federal level years ago, a complete incompetent fool, who caused by his inaction the death in his provinces of thousands of people because he deferred to private business over the public good, dollars before lives.

What is worse the Chief Medical Officer in Alberta Dr Heather Hinshaw went along with Kenney’s policy until yesterday after months of lying to the public, admitted that she was wrong, sorry folks she says. That is why we call them murder clowns.

Ontario is not much better, of the $2.5 billion dollars they received from the Federal Gov. for Covid to help the health sector, they instead sat on the money, did nothing with it. Another fool Premier Doug Ford, who created the fourth wave to help out businesses instead of the people of the province. This is the problem with those conservative premiers, they admire Trump and make no bones about it. I do hope people will vote them out of Office when the Provincial election cycle comes around.

Only 3 days to go before the Federal Election. Let’s hope Canadians will not elect a Trump wanna be.

Fully Vaccinated

Tags

dachshunds, life, Nora, Pfizer, vaccines

So yesterday I got my second shot and now I applied and received by proof of vaccination and I am also getting my PEI PASS which allows me to travel to the other Atlantic provinces and back without quarantine. After 18 July we will be able to travel to other Canadian Provinces. All of this took only minutes, no waiting whatsoever, the system is very efficient. Now the question is, can we travel internationally? To Europe? The USA border is still closed but it is pretty certain that by August it will re-open to those Americans who have proof of full vaccination. All the people who bitched and said no to the vaccination are now out of luck, every government wants proof of vaccination, no proof = no travel for you. Some have seen the light finally.

Other than that we are waiting for Post-Tropical Storm Elsa, but now it looks like she may miss us or at least we will get some rain or wind but not much else. The path of the storm appears to be moving to the middle of the Bay of Fundy. By the time we leave for the Cottage on Saturday it looks like Elsa will be near Newfoundland having passed PEI.

I bought new blankets for the two little dachshunds, they love them, it is like a lambswool fleece and they love to sleep in them. It appears to calm them down. So I put them in their kennels where they sleep at night since their puppyhood. They are quite attached to their sky kennels from KLM. It is their home and they have travelled with those kennels around the world.

Now Nora is a bold girl and she is not shy about setting the tone and Nicky just better behave or else. She simply stole his new blanket and put it into her kennel, thus monopolizing for herself all the blankets. This is too funny. Female Dachshunds are usually very assertive compared to the male dog.

July already

Tags

Canada Day, dachshunds, PEI

Well here we are in July and today is Canada Day version 154 according to Official history, I prefer to think like most French Canadian that is it in fact 421 years when the first French Europeans settled in New France.

This entire week weather wise has been very strange, more sure signs that Climate is for real and cannot be ignored anymore, though politicians are still debating what to do.

In British Columbia they have the pandemic, forest fires and heat in the 50C range. The extreme heat alone has killed in 4 days 680 people. People do not know what to do and panic. On the Atlantic we have moderate weather with rain and fog. The overcast weather has made so far for a quiet Canada day. Covid 19 means no fireworks tonight to avoid large gatherings. We are going out for dinner just across the street.

Tomorrow is bar-b-q day and I am at the grill, luckily I have help, we are looking at about 25 to 30 people. There will be cake and live music by two very good musicians who will play Canadian music.

First thing tomorrow morning I have to go to the Vet with Nicky who has been sick all week, stomach ache of some kind, he has a very fragile stomach. Currently he is having real chicken broth and soft white rice. He loves the broth but he is hungry however he does not appear to be able to keep anything down. I also have to drive Will to the clinic for his second shot of Moderna. Pick up the cake and buy burgers and sausage, buns etc. A busy day.

The strangest thing happened also this week, for the last 40 years out of convenience, I have been shopping at Land’s End for clothes and sheets. When you live in exotic locale you need to have access to standard fashion with good quality. Land’s End fits the bill and I have always been satisfied with what I bought from them. Only when living in Europe did we buy at local shops because they had the quality and what we were looking for.
I got an email from them this week to tell me that my latest order was lost in shipping. I was very surprised this has never happened, the order will be replaced at no cost with much apologies.

So all arrangements have been made with the babysitter for our vacation, we had dinner with her the other night on the marina. It only takes us 35 minutes to get there, I was told by Miss Daisy that it is more like 80 minutes, hey I’m the driver I should know this. It is all nice countryside and little to no traffic. Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather for our 2 weeks.

Happy Canada Day!

The two little ones

Tags

dachshunds, home, PEI, Rome

Both our Nicholas and Eleonora (Nick and Nora) will turn 13 this month, Nora is one week older than Nicky. Strange they have been with us since they were 6 weeks old in Rome. We knew them or first saw them at 2 weeks with their respective Moms and other siblings in Capena.

Both have loads of personalities and each very different. Nick loves his routine and wants you to stick to it and not change anything. Nora is the fighter, constant guard dog 24/7 and track hunting dog. She too loves her routine but has a very different one from Nick.

Nick loves the sunshine, the hotter the better. He is not as friendly as Nora, more distant with people. However if he likes you then you are his buddy and you cannot leave ever. Nora is the I love everybody, kiss,kiss and plays coquette with people for cuddles.

They both love their treats and expects lots of them, fact is they get more treats from Will than from me and they know that, so I do not get pestered about treats, they simply go to Mister pushover. Treats are multiple, bits of celery, bits of carrots, bits of cheese usually gouda, pieces of kibble, small piece of ice, anything I chop in terms of vegetables, they want a taste and the best is the liver treats home made by Will, they go nuts for that one. But they have developed a system, knowing that they get a treat when they return from a walk, they will pretend they want to go out, open the door and no I am not going but you give me a treat now. It seems that the simple thought of going out is good enough to warrant a treat, in their book.

The other funny thing is Nicky who insist on sleeping next to me on my chair in our living room. He will even fetch me to come and will be very insistent about it and look put out if I ignore him. So while he will sleep for an hour on the chair with me in the evening, he will wake up at 10pm and look at me, this look means I have to go out for my evening walk. Upon returning he wants his treat and then will make a fuss to go to bed. This is where we have a conversation in French, in fact all the words we use with them are in French, manger, maison, dodo, biscuit. Sometimes we don’t even have to make a full sentence, the simple Veux-tu … (Do you want) Nicky knows this mean manger (to eat), no need to say it. They know where to sit while they wait for their meal, do it does not stop Nicky to wimper, Nora is usually quiet.

So at 10 pm he goes to his bed and I bring the biscuit, of course Nora wants a biscuit also but she is not going to bed at all, too early for her. He then proceeds to fall asleep for the night.

Nora on the other hand always wants to nestle into the sofa all wrapped up in her blanket, but she knows that she like Nicky must to go her bed. She is not happy about that and always tries to negotiate. Once in bed, lately she started to whimper like a little baby, so we go in to see what his wrong, nothing of course but she wants another treat. Nicky of course wakes up and he too wants a treat. So lately it is up to 4 treats before she goes to bed and stops her whining. With Nora it is always about pushing the envelope and getting her way. It is very difficult to get angry at her, she knows which buttons to push to get what she wants. Nicky is not so clever about that, much more, hey its my routine follow it, approach.

It’s home made real liver treat time, pieces are the size of small brownies.

Funny enough they cannot be walked together, though in Rome we did with no problems, once in Canada that changed. Nicky can be super aggressive with other dogs either with Nora present or not. Nora on her own barks at other dogs and is not sociable. However with horses, we have them on the street in the old town or with cats she is indifferent, pays little attention to them. Crows which are plentiful here, she will chase but Crows are not easily intimidated and they have sharp nasty beaks, so we keep her away from them.

We want more liver, more!!!!!