Happy dog!

Meanwhile we have been on countless little hikes with our new family member, who probably never was in 'the wild' before. Hilda (or Hildegard by her full name) had likely been a city dog in her previous life because she seems comfortable with pounding pavement, ignoring loud city noises, cars and crowds, and visiting pubs or restaurants.  

A walk in the wild

A walk in the park

A walk after dark

exploring the vineyard

Nature is a new adventure for our four-legged companion, but she seems to enjoy the unfamiliar sourroundings, curious smells and newfound freedom. We put our trust in her and let her go without a leash from time to time. So far it works well and we can always snap her out of sniffing and call her back, this of course will always be paid by tasty (for her) snacks.

We go to doggy school twice a week and learn a lot about how to converse in canine language while Hilda learns to understand her new owners and how to behave around them. 

With full time work, part time mom care and all dog related things there is little spare time left in the day, and we often find ourselves powered out and in bed by 10 p.m. with a good night's sleep. 

training was exhausting

feeling cuddly

over and out!

Life is good! And life with a dog is even better!

It's a dog's life

No worries, we are fine, but for some dogs, it may seem that way, so we plan on turning fate for one specific canine with the warrior name Hilda. Hilda is a guaranteed pedigree free shepherd dog-pinscher-terrier-something-mix and approximately, eight years of age. 

Source: https://www.tierschutzverein-andernach.de/

She had been taken to the local animal shelter by the police because her master was found dead in the apartment. Hilda was found at his side and probably had to wait a few days there before help arrived. It must have been a traumatic experience for the poor dog, and she was upset for quite some time.

When she was put up for adoption by the pound, people didn't like her looks, because Hilda comes along wag-less! Due to a genetic disorder she doesn't have a tail.

My better half had spotted Hilda on the shelter's homepage, we looked at her and we thought: No tail? No problem! So we started dog-walking her for a while, and Hilda seems to enjoy our company. 

Meanwhile we have been approved as adoptive parents for the four-legged tail-less lady, and hope to be able to provide her a forever-home.

A review of 2024

January to April: With my mom's declining health, long distance traveling was not in the book of 2024, so I spent most of my free time hiking local trails. There are several themed hiking trails in close proximity:

- Volcanic Panorama Trail

- Pear Trail

- Barbarossa Trail

- Ahr-Urft Trail

Lake Laach

Ahr Valley

The (many) ways of St. James always pique my interest, hence I began section-hiking the so called "German Way" over the next months until August, beginning at home and ending in Langres, Lorraine, France.

Late May my better half and I spent a vew days together in Bavarian Canada on a campground near the village of Bodenmais celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, but serious weather cut our vacay short.

June had a family trip in store for us. My siblings and I took my mom to the Dutch coast with the idea in mind recreating some childhood memories.

In July I spent a long weekend trekking along the river Fulda but again the weather was not on my side.

Finally September arrived and with it our main vacation time. My siblings took over mom duty and we traveled through France along the river Loire from source to estuary.

We circled back along the Atlantic coastline through Brittany and were rewarded with fantastic weather conditions.

In October my assignment with John Deere had expired, and I found myself temporarily between jobs. So I followed the invitation of my besties to spend a few days in the Netherlands.

On my days off in October while not on mom duty I finished the Volcano Trail, which I had commenced section-hiking a year ago.

Then I started section-hiking the Hildegard-von-Bingen Trail, a pilgrimage trail dedicated to the famous abbess.

In November my agency had already lined up another assignment for me, and I could only venture out on short day hikes, so the Bergischer trail now becomes my winter hiking project.

We celebrated year's end on the Dutch coast. Again! (Three times is a charm or so they say), and although we had stormy weather we had a good time. I did miss the 2,000 km mark by 65 km, therefor forming my new year resolution of breaking my personal record.