My 5th shot

Tags

dachshunds, Nora, winter, climate change, covid, Vaccine, shots

Today I went to see my pharmacist and he gave me my 5th shot of the Covid vaccine in the new improve formula for the current strain. Few people are following through with regular at 6 month interval of the Covid vaccine, in fact the new stat about vaccination in general in Canada is that only 2% of the 38 million Canadians have all their current vaccinations. With Covid the % is going down since the second shot was given out 2 years ago, the drop in people getting their first and then second booster is low around 21% of the population. The reason, people do not understand the need to keep ahead of this disease by improving their immunity in general. Sadly the ignorance of the population and the conspiracies on the internet have create a real problem of credibility for Health practitioners.

This is the 16 January and still no snow, the temperature hovers around 39 to 45 F. that is not Winter weather in PEI, normally it should be around -12 C at night and 0 C. in the day time. We have no snow and the Canada Winter games are in 28 days. This could be a huge financial failure if the snow does not materialize. None is forecasted before the end of January. Many will tell you that this happened in 2015 and suddenly we had several major snow storms over one month, making it a record snow year. But I think that with climate change this is not likely to happen. People still believe in miracles, unfortunately the age of miracles is long past.

2023 is the 150th Anniversary of PEI joining the Canadian Confederation, despite the fact PEI hosted the Conference in August of 1864 that would lead to a union of the British colonies to form one united Canada, the decisive conference took place in September of 1864 in Quebec City. The famous painting by Robert Harris shows the Father of Confederation in Quebec City, and when the time came to sign up in March of 1867, PEI refused, preferring to stay a colony of Britain. Only in 1873 PEI being bankrupt and Britain refusing to help did the PEI government finally decide to join Canada if we paid their debts. It’s the Island way.

I told you all about Nicky but we should not forget our Eleonora AKA Nora. Will picked her at the kennel because at one week she was already feisty. When Will picked her up from the litter box the first thing she did was to suckle his index finger and would not let go. Nora’s markings are different from Nicky, he is blonder around the face and has more the Boar colouring. Nora has large black fur in her face and just a bit of blond under her chin. This gives her an intense look when she fixes you. Nora does not look away when you stare at her, while other dogs would. She is also very stubborn, she will pretend to listen to you only to do exactly what she wants once your back is turned. If you scold her, she puts on this show of incomprehension. If you speak sharply to her, she will give you the big puppy sad eyes look or she will be even more defiant. She takes on any dog no matter what the size. Nicky would never do that. Nora is like a little tank and is very dominant. Our other female Dachshund short hair, Bundnie who was born in Egypt in 1989 was also defiant and knew how to play her cards to get what she wanted. Bundnie lived to the grand old age of 17. We do remember her very fondly.

Lately Nora has been giving signs of doggy dementia, she temporarily appears lost or will stark to shake. She will bark at people she knows as if she has forgotten who they are. We always reassure her as best we can and it seems to pass. But it is a new development, she too is 14 but is a week older than Nicky.

She is very fond of food and the kitchen is her favourite room. Nora comes from a family of tracking dogs and she could have been easily trained to do tracking for the hunt. Her mother was an Italian National Champion at tracking. This gives her a completely different personality compared to Nicky.

She is very lovable and loves cuddles but she can also be very jealous if she thinks we pay too much attention to Nicky.

Eleonora di Capena AKA Nora

Nicholas aka Nicky

Tags

Capena, dachshunds, Italy, Lazio, Nicky

Nicky will be 14 years old next month and he is starting to have some health issues. At first it was his eyesight, he was becoming progressively blind, despite treatment this has sped up and he is now mostly blind and this affect his walking and his overall need to feel secure at all times. So we spend a lot of time making him comfortable. However in the house we cannot leave a room now and leave him on his own, he start to whine if he sense he is not near us. I do his eye drops every day but I wonder to what extent this is helping him now, except to keep his eyes moist. He has taken to come to me by the sound of my voice and then tilting his head as if to catch what I am saying, he also walks beside me now, my foot step guiding him, surprising how he adapted to changing circumstances. He also like to sleep next to me on the sofa knowing he is safe all wrapped up in his blanket.

Nicky and Eleonora aka Nora who is older than him by 7 days, have been with us since their birth, so they are truly a part of our little family and a presence in the house. Yes we have spoilt them and given them the best life possible. I know that it is extra care to look after Nick but he is very dear to us, we have to understand that he like Nora will not be with us forever.

Here in Capena at the home of Tiziana Tola who is very well known in dog breeding circles in Italy and her husband Dr Massimo Buzzanca. Will with our week old Nicky and Nora. Their mothers where also with us in the room, we came back to fetch them 7 weeks later.

Nicky in our home in Rome in 2010, my favourite photo of him. He loves the sunshine and sleeping in the sun is his thing, our sunshine boy. It is said that you will forgive your dog almost anything instantly, however we are not so forgiving for other fellow humans. I do not know why that is but maybe it is the relationship you have with your dog. Maybe is it because they are very perceptive, we have had dogs, all Dachshunds, for the last 34 years, so you learn a thing or two about them after all this time. Yes they are stubborn and will often only listen when it suits them, they are difficult to train and it requires persistence, however they are great companion and can be little clowns. I really cherish my time with Nick now more than ever.

Whirlwind

Tags

books, Charlottetown, dachshunds, EUR, Haviland Club, Italy, Rome

This week has been very busy, the big good news and I big uplift is that Will was able to start drinking tea and eating pudding. He has not had anything to eat through normal means in the last 3 months. Now he will have to do therapy to learn to swallow again normally as the tumour shrinks and dies. He is relieved and so am I and we are happy about this outcome, but we do have many more months until the final results are known. It is however looking good.

Monday I was invited to attend the inauguration of the new City Council. The next municipal election will be in 2026. The Councillor of my Ward 1, is now deputy Mayor, she was my opponent in the election of 2018. A smart lady, very political and we have become friends. The Mayor is trying hard to forge a new agenda, hopefully with this new Council it will be possible.

This week I had things to do each day. Wednesday went to Belle River about 45 min outside of Charlottetown to see a friend who has a beautiful old house in the area. He gave the Club 85 art/culture books, truly a wonderful gift for our Club Library. His house is full of treasures and has that old European feel about it.

Picture taken by Reg Porter in his house.

Then Thursday it was off to Kensington and Summerside in driving rain and fog to get the old puppies to the groomer. They do not like it but it has to be done and she does a great job. Now they are clean for Xmas.

This is so stressful for them and when I came to pick them up at 4:30pm they first peed and then ran for the car. Sleeping on their blankets on the back seat all the way back to town.

Nora at Home waiting for her dinner.

Nicky the quiet one in the family and now blind.

Tomorrow Friday should be quiet only the Club in the evening. Now the Xmas decorations are up, it will be quiet just the 2 of us, that is perfectly fine. I made an appointment to get a pre-Xmas haircut.

One stem and 5 blooms of this white Amaryllis, a beautiful elegant flower. I have another one growing, a red one. The stem is 2 feet tall.

Last Friday at the Club in what was once the formal salon of Esther Lowden’s home, a nice Winter fire in the Pink Sicilian Marble fireplace. It is so pleasant to sit in this room and just enjoy a glass of wine by the fire.

Here is another view this week in the afternoon. It is a very comfortable room.

Now I saw this photo this week of the EUR neighbourhood of Rome (Esposizione Universale Roma), it is on the outskirts of the city on the way to the airport. It was started my Benito Mussolini in the 1930’s and was to be his modernistic view of Rome, it was never completed due to the war and his fall from power in July 1943. However it is surprising by its modernity of style.

This building dominates the area and is very interesting. The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, or in everyday speech as the Colosseo Quadrato, is a building in the EUR district in Rome. It was designed in 1938 by three Italian architects: Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto La Padula, and Mario Romano. Despite its origins, Romans are very proud of its architecture and what it says about Rome and the future. The sky is dramatic like it is usually in Rome.

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.