Mom finished her Italian course today! I've been studying along with her, but she didn't take me to the final class. It's 32 C here today (90 F) and too hot for me to sit inside my house during the class. (The school doesn't have any AC.) I don't think Il Maestro ever realized I was coming to class, but all the students did.
I learned a lot over this past while. Mom didn't learn as much as I did. In fact, she says she's backtracking. Learning a language is like that for her -- a tiny bit forward and a lot backward. Or it's like the movie Groundhog Day because Mom takes the same course over and over and over. Maybe she'd learn more if Bill Murray were in her course.
Mom's classmate from Croatia asked after me. Today, Mom said Ms. Croatia sat next to Ms. Brazil, which is fitting since the World Cup starts today with a match between those two teams.
Mom got to talk about her dreams for an ideal job. She said that in reality her life is pretty sweet right now. She loves having me, writing books, teaching, being married to Dachshund Daddy, and she feels freaky lucky to travel between southern Switzerland and northern Idaho. Still, Mom said a dream job would be running a school for doggies (un scuola una scuola per i cani) and also running puppet shows. Apparently, Mom said she would like me to star alongside marionettes. Excuse me... I'm a dachshund, not a puppet!
I hope whatever language you're learning and whatever skills your building are all coming along. Remember: dream big, live real.
Barbapapa is a pink pear-shaped creature who lives with his wife Barbamama, their seven children, and their dog Lolita. Originally from France, they're very popular in Switzerland, and here's a German language Barbapapa book by the title of "A Day with the Barbapapa Family".
Here's Barbapapa with his wife Barbamama. The scruffy black creature between Barbamama and Lolita is Barbabeau.
Born in Paris in 1970 from the imagination of Annette Tison and her American husband Talus Taylor, the Barbapapas owe their name to the French idiom for cotton candy, barbe à papa, literally daddy's beard. Here's Lolita with Barbabelle. On the left, you can see Barbalib in the water.
Finally, here's Lolita playing with Barbazoo. The blue creature is Barbabright.
To learn more about the Barbapapa family, check out their website!
On a recent bike tour in the Jura region of western Switzerland, Dachshund Daddy came across this hilarious doggy sign outside of the town of Réclère:
According to the sign, the resident dog has claimed the lives of 13 mailmen, 7 burglars, 17 car tires, and 11 cats. Dachshund Daddy, however, reports that there were no dogs within sight.
Just across the border, in the French town of Abbévillers, Dachshund Daddy also saw this sign:
"I am on guard! Trespass at your own risk." Just as Dad was starting to smile and think this was just an empty threat, Rodolphe started barking away.
Dogs must be kept on a leash
and are only allowed in the restaurant area
We found this sign in the township of Collina d'Oro ("Golden Hill"), an insanely wealthy suburb of Lugano and quite a doggy place. Dogs are ONLY allowed in the restaurant area. That's because this is a public rec center, and they worry that patrons will take their dogs on the tennis courts.
As stated in the sign below, you must wear a shirt and tennis shoes on the courts. Because there is a public swimming pool on the other side of the tennis courts, the sign also mentions that you may not play in your swimsuit.
Dear Readers and Kindred Spirits, if I wear a shirt and find two pairs of dachshund-sized tennis shoes, will they let me play tennis on a leash? I think it should be OK, as long as I don't wear a swimsuit.
Valle Intelvi is a side valley of Lake Como that offers a wide array of hiking options. It can be reached from Switzerland by way of a series of stupidly steep vomity roads.
On a Sunday in late November, Dad took us to a little known corner of Valle Intelvi and treated us to a loop hike out of the hamlet of Posa. Dad pointed out that "Posa" is the imperative of "to pose" in Italian. I took that seriously.
The hike began with an asinine conversation.
While Dad scampered to the top of Monte Comana to enjoy the view of scenic Lake Como,
Mom and I relaxed on the meadows above the Alpe Comana pond.
Later, we proceeded to visit the summit of Monte San Bernardo,
which lies very close to the Swiss border and gives a commanding view over Valle di Muggio.
The trail network is very well marked, possibly because this area is right next to the Swiss border and the Italians don't want to look disorganized.
I find the local architecture fascinating.
I'm also a great big fan of Italian treats, though I never get to sample any. Unlike my parents, who ate and drank their fill at Bar Il Punto in San Fedele Intelvi. Che cavolo!
This is a Rope-Based Barometer, known in Southern Switzerland and parts of Northern Italy as Barometro a Corda. It is a common sight on trails throughout Switzerland. We have found them to be quite reliable.
To start, focus on the rope in the center.
To operate this weather-information center, one must analyze the state of the rope and match that state to the choices listed on either side of the rope (Italian on the left and German on the right.)
Here is the English translation:
If the rope is dry: fair weather.
If the rope is wet: rain.
If the rope is stiff: cold.
If the rope blows back and forth: wind.
If the rope is invisible: drink less.
If there is no rope: it got stolen.
We have seen other versions in different areas of Switzerland. For example, here follows one common variation:
I, Tootsie, am a Bicontinental Adventure Dachshund.
Thank you for the opportunity to enter the 2012 contest. I am an adventurer who lives and travels on both the European and American continents and logs countless hours hiking in the Alps and the American West.
I travel by plane,
by train,
by gondola,
and by many other methods of transport, including automobiles, buses, cogwheel trains, funicolari, and ferries.
Fur Disclosure: I’ve never ridden a chairlift because I don’t think it’s safe.
As part of my residence in southern Switzerland, for which I obtained a Swiss Pet Passport, I'm required to embark on another sort of adventure. As a middle-aged doxie, I am learning to understand one of Switzerland's four national languages, Italian: "Seduta, Bassottina. Brava!" ("Sit, little Dachshund. Good girl!")
I love hiking. I’ve hiked all over Switzerland: Canton Fribourg in the west,
the Greina Plateau in south-central Switzerland,
Canton Appenzell in the northeast,
and in many other places.
I’ve hiked in the Austrian Alps,
in the French Alps,
and in the Italian Alps.
Once, I encountered a viper on a trail near Passo Vivione in the Italian Alps. There's no picture, because, duh, we're not going to hang around with a deadly viper on the trail, but here’s a link to what the viper looked like. Freaky!
I’ve also hiked in the Appennines in Tuscany
and regrouped in a Tuscan hilltown.
Though naturalized Swiss, I'm a proud United States citizen by birth (though the U.S. doesn't issue legal pet passports).
I love hiking in the American West, especially in my home state of Idaho.
I also like to hike in Montana.
Before Christmas, I met Santa Claws in downtown Bozeman.
The whole schnaa of being bicontinental means I’m a super lucky little dog. I get to go sailing in the San Juan Islands in Washington State,
explore the rocky shores of Puget Sound,
and walk along the sandy beaches of Tuscany,
where I filmed this movie.
I’m a fit little dog, but I wasn’t always this lucky. Before my forever parents adopted me, I was a very sick little dog. It was not clear if I would be well enough to live this life.
My special vet Dr. Ward of Pet Mobile saved my life. Dr. Ward performed surgery to remove huge bladder stones. Just a month later, I had three abscessed teeth pulled at one time. Ouch.
Yet after each surgery, I woke up wagging. My special vet assistant Brenda says that I always wag! My previous caregivers Clara, Sarah, Sadie, and Sophie, who found help for me with special vet Dr. Ward, confirm that I have always wagged. It’s true. Wagging is the leitmotif of my life.
Even before my renaissance and all my current travels, I believe I have always been an “Adventure Dachshund.” Why?
Because, to me, real adventure begins in my heart. Real adventure is reflected in my wagging tail. When I wake up every morning, I wag. I wag because life is sacred, and I'm grateful for mine.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my entry in the 2012 Mango Minster contest.
