Busy Day

Today was spent walking dogs, shopping for a few last minute items (never did find a stuffed dackel toy!) and going over to Sigge and Sybille’s for coffee. It was interesting on all accounts.

First I loved meeting Sigge and Sybille and their daughter Elise, as well as their dog, Carlos. As you can see Carlos knew a dog person when he saw one and he spent a lot of time lying next to me and in my lap! What a sweet boy he is.

bille carlos

mb and carlos

carlos love

Shopping was futile as far as the ever elusive toy dackel went. We visited several shops but did not find one German Shepherd or dackel! What did we find? All things Disney! We did stop for lunch and had an ice cream and that was great!

ice cream

Wednesday I will attend a local Weight Watchers meeting. I am looking forward to seeing what their meetings are like here. I will say one thing, there are many more Weight Watcher foods in the grocery stores. It is fun and sort of a game I play checking out each grocery store to see what items they carry.

I got word that my father has been admitted back into the hospital. Sadly he is in very poor health and I think perhaps he will not come home after this.

Anneliese would like nothing more than to go back and visit Isagrim! She has been so cute showing me her desire for him. It makes me laugh. I will know in a month if there are little babies in her tummy!

I can hardly wait!

And In The End…

The Love you take is equal to the love you make!

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 Monday we drove down to see Herr Isagrim once again. I must tell you that this little love story has been such an amazing thing to watch. Two dogs, from two different countries, who find “true love”!

 

breeding 2

We arrived just before 11 in the morning and I could tell Anneliese was happy to be back to see her husband. Of course it was a little sad to learn that she is wife #10. Apparently Isagrim has quite a harem of young doggy ladies and many children!

 

me and my girl

This is Steffi, and she and her parents own Isagrim. She was such a great help and she is also a very nice and kind young woman! Steffi, thank you again for everything you did to make this such an easy experience for Anneliese and me.

Isagrim and steffi

Rather quickly we went inside, as it was raining today and just too unpleasant to allow the dogs to have there fun in the meadow. As you can see, isagrim was very ready for his Anneliese!

he wants some now

This time Isagrim and Anneliese really got along well.

Isagrim got very tired at the end.

he is tired

He was very sweet and Isagrim snuggled with Anneliese for almost half an hour. He kissed her and I couldn’t help but think what a sweet lover he was!

The couple

I was there too, watching and helping anyway I could. But to be honest, Isagrim knew just what to do!

helping out

Then we put our girl into her warm sweaterand brought her home. She has slept most of the afternoon away.

anneliese after

 

What an experience for her and for me! I know I will probably do this with her one time, but I have learned so much and really enjoyed every moment!

A Day Of Rest

Sunday found us giving Anneliese a day to rest. I expect we will be driving back down tomorrow for part 2 of her honeymoon!

It is rainy, cold and generally yucky today here in Berlin. Uschi and I took Noah on a long walk around the lakes here, but we left Miss Anneliese at home. Sadly, she would draw too much attention from other perspective and unsuitable male dogs if we took her! We are all a little tired from yesterday’s excitement, so the rest of the day  we have been real couch potatoes, sitting around watching movies, and of course talking!

We watched a movie called “That Thing You Do” which was written and directed by Tom Hanks. I don’t remember it being released in the states? Does anyone else?

I think tonight we will all collapse in bed once again to prepare for Anneliese’s trip to see her beloved Isagrim. I cannot tell you how happy I am with this mating. Isagrim is not only beautiful to look at, but he is smart, and very good with his field events.

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Anneliese Is A Married Woman!

Today Volker drove us down to a small village near Potsdam where Anneliese met her new husband, Isagrim. I could tell she was nervous, but she did enjoy the car ride, as Volker is an excellent driver!

Going to meet her husband

Just so you do not think Anneliese is a little hussy, I am including this video that Uschi took showing Anneliese playing very hard to get.

Isagrim was very determined and he chased her around and around the yard! He LOVED Anneliese and wanted to make her happy!

I am not easy

Even when she flashed her big white teeth he did not give up! Personally I think he liked her even more!

I am not easy 2

She was difficult, and then, it was as if she suddenly fell in love with Isagrim and they became man and wife!

the love couple

They snuggled close and Isagrim kissed her over and over again. It was a beautiful sight!

The happily married couple

I think the newlyweds will be happy to see each other again in two days when we go back.

The happily married couple 2

For their devotion was great!

After

Isagrim is the sweetest of boys and he allowed me to hold him and he even kissed me.

The new mother in law

Doesn’t he look happy?

Cheers

After dropping Anneliese off at Uschi’s house to rest we went out to celebrate!

cheers to success

We had a lovely late luncheon at a local restaurant. I finally got my schnitzel!

a late lunch

Tomorrow Is The Big Day!

Tomorrow (Saturday), we head to see Isagrim and hopefully have a successful mating of Anneliese with her German boyfriend. I’m nervous, both for her and for me. We will be leaving right after breakfast as our date is at 11 o’clock.

Today it snowed yet again! I have felt right at home here with the weather as New Hampshire often has periods of time like this, where it snows every day. Anneliese is thrilled because she loves the snow and has had a lot of fun running through it.

dackels through the snow

me and anneliese

I was able to get Anneliese out quite a bit today as Uschi’s yard is nicely fenced with a large play area in the back. Anneliese was a very happy girl!

frnt house snow

As you can see the deep snow was beautiful and even though it was a tad messy we enjoyed it. In time, we needed to go out to get the groceries for the day and Volker worked hard to clear the garage and the driveway for us. The roads were not too bad and we had a great time at the shops with Anton. Have you ever noticed how having a little child with you can make the most ordinary trip extraordinary?

Volker and snow

When we returned from shopping we watched “Mama Mia” while Anton slept. I was so pleased to share this movie with Uschi, because it is one of my favorites! Then Anton’s Mommy arrived from her job and Anton woke and we had coffee.

Mr Anton

Volker is setting up the GPS for tomorrow and supper will soon be ready. Here is a little dose of cuteness to keep you until my report about Saturday’s events! This is Anton with his Papa’s glasses!

White Berlin!

I woke on Thursday to find it snowing once again here in Berlin! Oh dear, I think the Berliners will all blame me for this frosty winter! After all, I come from the land of snow back home in the USA!

We have had Anton overnight. Oh how wonderful this is. He hasn’t been taught any English yet, but like most children he is already parroting back what I say to him!

Anton

Anton cleaning

Anton loves to help and he is very good at cleaning the kitchen floor! Oh boy! I am having so much fun with him! In fact he even helped me today when I was writing Dackel Princess!

anton helps me

Uschi and I took turns reading to him. Now this was quite funny because my German is really poor, even at a pre-school level!

Oma Reads

Anneliese thinks the snow is wonderful and she goes out and runs around the house the a crazy dackel! Her favorite thing is to plow head first through the snow!  She is happily waiting until Saturday and I’ve kept her relatively quiet.

mb and noah

I was quiet today as well. I think the Jet Lag caught me and I have felt very tired. So with all the snow coming down, and being this tired I decided to just hang out today. Noah took advantage of this and I found him in my lap quite a few times, with tons of kisses! Tomorrow we have great plans to go out and visit a few places in the area. Shopping or at least window shopping!

Have a great day everyone!

 

No Dackels In Berlin!

Today we went out in an attempt to find a small wire-haired dackel toy. We searched high, we searched low and we could not find one dackel toy in all of Berlin! I saw many other things I liked, but the one thing I kept asking myself was, “Can I fit this in my suitcase?”. Usually the answer was no, and so Hubby will be happy to learn I have spent very little during this trip.

I am enjoying seeing what Weight Watcher items are in the shops. Today I found an entire display of their foods!

WW products

I wish they sold these in America! I would be a very happy girl!

ww close up

Uschi and I went to several Malls before I realized it was after 2 o’clock and I needed to eat. We stopped at the Food Court and I had a Curry Wurst and a nice cold beer! It was wonderful!

lunch

A choir was singing at the food court and it was really nice to listen to while we ate.

choir

We headed home late in the afternoon and stopped to buy dear Volker some cakes to have with our coffee. Volker had stayed home with Noah, Uschi’s seven month old chocolate Lab puppy and the sweet Anneliese, who will be meeting Herr Isagrim on Saturday for their first tme together!

My favorite cake has always been Mohn Kucken. This is made with Poppy seeds and is wonderful to taste!

Mohn Kuchen

Now we wait for Anton, Usch’s grandson to arrive for the night! What fun it will be to have him with us! Tomorrow we go to a specialty garden and dog store to browse around.

Don’t forget to say Hi! I miss you all!!!

Shopping & Eating Sensibly

Today I woke to bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. So pretty, but a little sloppy when walking. Anneliese is doing well and she is being just the sweetest doggy with me.
Yesterday Uschi and I went out to a huge shopping mall in Berlin’s, Alexander Platz. The mall was three stories high and packed with shops and people. I bought a scarf to go with my jacket, but that was all.
On our way home we stopped at a grocery store and I roamed around the store. I could not believe the wonderful Weight Watchers food items they had there, including Fleisch Salat and salami and soups. Oh I wish we had these things in America!

WW meals

We took many pictures in the market before a woman came and said we were not allowed to take pictures! Why not? The store was beautiful, clean and well displayed. You would think they would want to show off. I took pictures anyway because it was so nice.

Feb 17 09 002

Feb 17 09 007

I must tell you that when Uschi and I are together we do nothing but chatter like two teenagers! It’s wonderful! Uschi’s husband, Volker has set me up with his computer and helped me along with any and all problems I have had with it. He also gets me my fresh baked sunflower seen rolls each morning! For my German readers, you know how wonderful those are!

Here is a little montage I have made from my first two days. I promise more pictures along the way. Meanwhile, don’t forget to comment so I don’t get too homesick for you all!

 

 

The Trip Over.

I wanted to write and tell you a little more about our trip over. We met some interesting people along the way, almost all were interested in Anneliese and her plight of being bred to a stranger! Lol!

In Boston I saw a man sitting next to me take out this very small machine. I asked him if this was a real computer? He said yes, then grumpily told me he didn’t want to speak to me because he was too busy!

Another woman was the twin of my friend, Heather! She was very nice. Eventually our name was called on a stand-by basis, and we boarded the plane for New York, LaGuadia Airport. I knew I would need to take a cab over to New York, JFK Airport, and I asked the flight attendant if she knew a cheap way to do this.

She told me that a flight crew was on board and they were going to JFK. She asked if I could share their cab and they said yes. They were so nice and we rode over with them and it cost only $6.00! That was great! It turned out that the Captain of my flight to Berlin was in the cab with me, and after that he made sure I got a good seat on his flight and that Anneliese was taken care of.

At JFK I spoke with 3 interesting men. First a computer genius who was on his way to lecture in Amsterdam and then on to Brussels. He was probably 10 years younger than me. He was very interested in Anneliese and her story about going to Germany to meet her husband. He asked me  many questions and we spoke for the nearly 2 hours it took me to get through both check in and security.

Oh yes. A big thank you and cheers for the fine security people at both Boston and Kennedy Airports. They were wonderful! I simply asked what they would like me to do with Miss Anneliese and they happily guided me through and helped me with my luggage!

jfk airpört

I met a young man (age 15) on his way to visit his father in Milan. His parents are divorced and he lives with his Mom in the States, and visits Milan for vacations with his father. He was very polite and very handsome! I bet the girls in Milan think he is adorable!

Then there was John. I spoke to him the longest. As we sat waiting at the gate we talked about life, family, dogs, and the universe. He was a fascinating man. So John, if you are reading this now, a big hello to you!

I was the second person in line off of the plane. I got to Security and Immigration and the woman looked at my passport picture and then at me with a questioning look. I laughed and said to her, “I know, bad hair cut in the picture!” She smiled and said “Yes!”

And then we were through the doors and there was my Uschi! I put Anneliese down in her bag and just held onto Uschi and felt the tears come in my eyes!!! I cannot explain how wonderful it was to feel her arms around me after all of this time.

Wonderful!

So today is catch up on some sleep, and try to stay in the time zone. I cannot believe that it is snowing here and we have had about 3 inches of white stuff! It’s so pretty, but I think I must have brought this with me!

schnee