Ciao miei amici!!

Santa vacca!!! (Holy cow!!!) I am brimming with la vergogna e la mortificazione (shame and mortification)! We read your bloggies the other morning and la mia ragazza felt so crushingly awful that we have been absent from DWBloggyland for so many months that she set aside her holiday baking (which -- heeeeeeee!!! -- she is miserable at anyway, so she doesn’t mind stalling on it!) to put this long overdue post on my bloggy. Rest assured, we are all fine and dandy here although oggi fa freddo –molto, molto freddo (today it is cold – very, very cold) -- and la mia ragazza is quite fretty about me not having a proper cappotto di inverno (winter coat). She told me to ask Santy Paws for one – and I did – and now I am determined to stay awake on Vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve) to see if he squeezes down the comignolo (chimney) with a new coat and many giocattoli magnifici (magnificent toys) for me. Which I deserve, as I have been a splendid and good girl this year. Except for maybe this one time ...

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

So anyway, here are cinque cose (five things) that have happened in Lucia’s beautiful universe in the cinque mesi (five months) that I have been awayyyyy:

1. I had surgery to remove a troublesome spot at the top of my back leggie – which was terrible enough! – (Note from LMR: it was a scary time here – the vet was concerned that Lucia might have a malignancy – fortunately, test results came back negative) and then, worse, I had a very, very, very bad reaction to Auntie Sthetic (I did not even know I had an Auntie named Sthetic!) and cominciato ad avere allucinazioni (began to hallucinate) so la mia ragazza – who was so very terrified that she might lose her most darling and adored Aire-girl – rushed me to the Mergencyvet, where I spent about un milione di ore (a million hours) having many tests done. Alas, the Mergencyvet didn’t know that I was reacting to Auntie Sthetic and gave me a version of the VERY SAME THING to make me sleepy for the tests, and I went into another serious round of reactions which lasted for a whole other day!!! I had to take
molti farmaci (many medicines) for many days afterward

... and later, la mia ragazza even took me to a vettie who did agopuntura (acupuncture) to help my very sore back – but in the end, I, Lucia the Lionhearted, survived!! (Note from LMR: we think Lucia might have twisted or hurt her back as she was waking up, post surgery; instead of having her treated with yet another pain medication, I took her to a holistic vet who offers chiropractic and acupuncture as a way to alleviate pain. During the acupuncture treatment, itself, Lucia’s face changed from tense to completely relaxed. No more pain!!! It was really amazing ... even better, she's been completely fine since.)

2. We moved from our (former) very cold climate to a (new) much less cold one, although you would never know that today since it’s only nine degrees outside!

3. I had my fotographia (photo) taken with Santy Paws’ elf last week. Awwwwww! La mia ragazza is very smitten with my seasonally dressed self in this picture!

4. I have made many, many new friends, thanks to my twice weekly visits to doggie daycare:

Kobe and Scout the Standard Poodles

Mogie the Irish Wolfhound

The Beautiful Sophie (la mia ragazza loves this Vizsla girl … plllbbbbb!)

(Hubba hubba, Dennis!!!!)

Hal the LabraPlott

Coop the Labradoodle

Peking Gus

(Heeeeeee!!! Get it?? He's peeking!!)

... and 'Panga the Welshie

(She's a mini Lucia!!)

Muahhhhhs to all my wonderful buddies!!! (But I, Lucia, am the only Airedale at daycare!!)

5. I found out I am probably related to Farfel’s new sister, Star!! And I am also distantly related to Mischka the Airedale!!!! Ah, it’s so wonderful to have famiglia (family)!

I send many smoochies and huggies to all of my DWB amici, and also send out extra-special smoochies and huggies to Miss Sunshade and her mum, who presently have their paws full. Please run right over to their bloggy and give them some DWB TLC!

Tanti baci!
Lucia

PeeEss: Muahhhhhs to my beloved Buster and his bellissima baby niece, Gracie!!