Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

As Ren & Stimpy say, "Happy, happy; joy, joy!" Or maybe Verdi has something else to add?

For a Verdi birthday treat, follow this link, here.

Dachshund Grandpa Made Us a Bench!

Grandpa designed and built our bench so that we could transport it home from Idaho to Switzerland as airplane luggage, and then we could set it up in our special entrance spot, which Grandpa had previously measured.

Dachshund Daddy took the lead but we all worked as a team to put it together. Thanks, Grandpa, for including the necessary tools in our luggage! The bench is made of oak with a touch of teak.

Thank you, Grandpa, for our bench. We love it!

#TBT: My Fur Brother Truffle

Whenever I'm at Grandpa's Idaho Home, I always miss my fur brother Truffle. He let me kiss his ears and lick his jowls and dry hump him all over. Here is Truffle with Mom and a Wisconsin cow during Mom & Truffle's great road trip adventure together back in 2006.
xo
Tootsie

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

We all look a little younger here in this photo from Idaho.

Happy birthday, Grandpa!

We love you.

xo

In your honor, we shall yodel to the great big blue sky.

Thanks for being a champion of the down low.

Tootsie & Verdi!

Me and Mom and Verdi and Grandpa!

Roncole Verdi, Italy

Verdi's Birth Place

Thank You, Grandpa

Dear Grandpa,

Thank you so much for making the long trek to visit us in Switzerland. Just this morning, Dachshund Daddy said, "I miss Grandpa!"

Wasn't our first hike to Lake Salei, Switzerland pawsome?

I was so happy to show you the Dolomites in Italy!

And it is totally pawsome that you finally got to meet Dachshund Daddy's family -- and go to the beach where Dachshund Daddy played as a kid!

Here's Verdi's birth place. Why did the Puccini Museum welcome little dogs held in arms, but Verdi's people didn't mention dogs at all?

Please come back, Grandpa. We can take more alpine naps together.

Love,
Your Tube of Fur

Return to Switzerland: Please Send Cawwots

Mom and I are back in Switzerland with Dachshund Daddy! We had a great trip to the United States, our country of origin. Mom did lots of writing events. Thanks to Grandpa for making everything so seamless. Dachshund Daddy loves his homemade banana bread, which Grandpa specially made for him.

Here I am with Grandpa in our gorgeous Idaho woods the day before we caught our flight. Look at the moss! Super soft on my paws.

And here I am all ready to burrow into my bicontinental travel house. Mom says I did awesome in the air! Her seatmates didn't even believe I was there -- all tucked up under the seat in front of Mom. But, oops, I pee'd on Astroturf in the "Small Terrace" roof garden in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Sorry! I don't like Astroturf, but I really had to go, and by the way, I think it is terrible that the women soccer players have to play on it instead of real grass during the Women's World Cup in Canada. Another stupid bozo move by those duds who run FIFA.

Dachshund Daddy took us for gelato tonight... across the border in Italy. Well... we all went, but only Mom and Dad were allowed to eat ice cream. And pizza. They had pizza, too!

Would someone send me some cawwots, please? And would someone send Mom and me a cure for jet lag, please? (Nine hour time difference, so for me, breakfast is dinner and dinner is breakfast.)

We miss you, Grandpa!

Love,
Tootsie

Dear Grandpa -- Thank You!

Dear Grandpa,

Thank you for a wotten-waven special time together. Not only are you the best grandpa in the world... you also give the best cuddles. And cawwots. And you let me hunt AS MUCH AS I WANT. And you help reassure MOM that I'm OKAY, so she can go do her work while you and I get to stay together.

I love you.

Mom loves you, too.

Love,
Tootsie