Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from my heart to yours!

 Love, Tootsie

Happy Boxing Day!

Buon Natale!

A very Merry Christmas to all our friends and family around the world!

I look a little distressed, but it's only because I wish Mom

would stop shoving my head up through wreaths!

Keep on wagging,

Tootsie

Christmas Eve

For Dachshund Daddy

Tootsie and Madonna

Tootsie and Madonna Reflect on the Season

Southern Switzerland

Casa Burrow

Now that I've survived my holiday reflections and realized that I am a "thing of joy" (thank you for your helpful comments),

now that Dachshund Daddy's broken radius bone is healing, and he almost has full range of motion again,

now that we've settled after our move, it is time to reflect: about our move, about the past year, and about the changes in my life. My parental units let me name our new home!

It is tradition here in southern Switzerland to name a home. There are wire sculptures of the names on the sides of homes; for example, one home in our new neighborhood is called "Casa Bella Vista."

I hereby dub our new home: "Casa Burrow." Per my specifications, please pronounce the "r" like a "w": Casa Burrow = Casa Buwwow. It is not pronounced as if I'm a dog: "Bow wow." It is pronounced like "burrow" only with two "w's"!

My parental units say that we've moved to a better burrow! I'm a savvy dachshund, and I love to burrow. I love my new burrow. I will protect Casa Burrow!

What do you think about my name for our new home?

"No Card Credit"

Am I a Wreath?

Guest Post by Sassy

This is a photograph from my new friend Sassy as she looks out her Idaho window at a moose!

Exploring Our New Neighborhood

I've been helping Mom and Dachshund Daddy explore our new neighborhood!

If we have trouble sleeping, these sheep offer their help.

There are angels in our new neighborhood.

And neat nooks, crooks, and alleyways.

I love the holiday decorations.

And how do you like our local dragon?

My New Lake Lugano Walk

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Tootsie--sometimes referred to as Baby Jesus--

celebrates December 8th,

the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Today is a holiday in southern Switzerland.

Although it is a "Feast Day," Tootsie only ate regular kibble.

Little old ladies who forgot about the holiday are totally freaked out

because all grocery stores are closed.

And grocery stores are not open on Sundays in Switzerland!

We Moved!

Yes, we moved! I had a panic attack the day we moved and shook uncontrollably; I didn't know what was going on.

Mom cuddled me, and I felt better.

We moved two towns over from our previous town. We shut the door to our old apartment and walked our regular waterfront trail to our new apartment. Now I'm helping Mom unpack the kitchen. Mom is ecstatic. I'm wagging.

And thank you, all, for your generous, healing comments about Dad's bicycle accident and his broken radius bone. Dachshund Daddy is doing much better. His physical therapy is already progressing. He says he is exhausted, which makes a lot of sense to me and to Mom.

I have been waking up in the middle of the night to lick Dachshund Daddy's face all over, especially his nose. Do you think that helps?

Husky Looking Over Me

Billboard!

My translation goes something like this:

Wow! Every day a full snout.

One for all -- DENNER

Does anyone have other translation suggestions?

I may have German in my genes, but I used Google Translate for this.

[Denner is a Swiss discount grocery store. It's kind of a close-out store.

They sell really inexpensive but yummy pasta.]