Max Was Here, Too!!!

Ciao miei amici!

I, Lucia, am quite excited to tell you that Max stopped by la casa della mia zia (my aunt's house) in Tennessee -- where I'm presently visiting -- during the southern United States leg of his worldwide tour!

Because I am a young and as-yet-inexperienced-in-the-ways-of-the-world Aire-girrrl, I asked Max to teach me a few lessons about what it means to be a clever, loving, considerate, intuitive and companionable doggie. So, whatever Max told me to do, I tried to do. But ... quickly realizing that I have the attention span of a gnat and thus follow directions poorly (la mia ragazza says, "spend three minutes watching Lucia in agility training and you'll realize how true that is" --- pllbbbbbb!!!!), Max decided that the best teaching method for me would be learning by doing. Here are some photos of our lessons. (We had to do it this way because la mia ragazza's Photoshoppy skills, as you all know, are nine levels below wretchedly abysmal ... heeeeeeeeee!!!)

When Max showed me how to investigate and patrol the garden ...

I did this ...

When Max told me how to walk nicely alongside the hooman so I could see my shadow ...

I did this ...

When Max showed me how to sing ...

I did this ...

When Max taught me how to chill out by relaxing in the grass ...

I did this ...

When Max showed me how to stick out my tongue (heeeeee!!) ...

I did this ....

When Max taught me how to play with blankets and shirts ...

I did this ...

When Max showed me how to stand on my back leggies ...

I did this ....

When Max explained how to make horsey eyes ...

I did this ...

When Max said, Lucia, always snooze in the sunshine ...

I did this ...

When Max told me to give plenty of huggies to those who love us most ...

I did this ...

When Max taught me the winsome, upside down glance ...

I did this ...

When Max showed me that daily walkies are beneficial ...

I did this ...

And when Max taught me how to have a good nap after a good day ...

I did this ...

On this bellissima (most beautiful) Valentine's Day, dolce (sweet) Max, I send you my heart. I only wish it could be as enorme (large) and magnifico (magnificent) as yours!!!!!!

Tanti baci!
Lucia

Eccomi, eccomi, ECCOMEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Ciao, miei amici!

It's me, Lucia, your longest lost pal!

La mia ragazza and I have been roving, roving, roving (keep that doggie roving….!) but I finally planted my paws and demanded that she get busy taking dictation for my bloggie so I can fill you all in on where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. First of all, how was everybloggie’s holiday season and new year? I, Lucia, had a grande ma tranquilla (grand but tranquil) holiday, filled with lots of excellent hooman foodables courtesy of il mio nonno (my grandpa) who frequently sneaks snacks to me while la mia ragazza’s back is turned: “Mangiare questo, Lucia, mangiare!” ( Eat this, Lucia, eat!); pressies; visits with la famiglia (the family); and, as la mia cara amica, Asta (my dear friend, Asta), would put it, ore di sonno rilassante (hours of relaxing sneep).

Ecco alcuni momenti salienti (Here are a few highlights):

First, I ate a Christmas ornamento (ornament) from il albero di Natale (the Christmas tree):

This nearly gave la mia ragazza a Hardy Tack! She was making dinner on Vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve) and noticed that I was walking around quietly (which is unusual in and of itself) and stealthily, carrying something in my mouth. She said, Luciadropppppit, but instead of dropping -- I couldn’t resist! -- I gave a mighty chomp and when she saw the silver pieces of glass fall out of my mouth, SHE NEARLY HAD LA VACCA, UOMO! (A COW, MAN!) But I was ok because, sensing immediately that argento ventro (silver glass) didn’t taste good, I went “pLEHHHH” and spit out all of the silver, right next to la mia ragazza’s bare feet. Heeeeeee!

She grabbed my adorable scruffly face and pried open my jaws – AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH – and looked everywhere, didn’t see any sparkly bits on my tongue or large and pretty white teeth, and then decided I’d dropped all the glass, which, of course I did. Sheesh, like I’d eat glass. Shoes, maybe, or cell phones, and yes I have sampled tinsel and garland, oh, and some Tuppyware lids, and ok, paper napkins, Kleenex and toilet paper -- mmmm toilet paper, how can a girl resist! -- but glass? I think not. Sunglasses, yes, possibly. But not sharp shards of glass. I am simply too clever an Aire-girrl for such foolishness.

Second, la mia ragazza, thinking herself to be in the spotlight at Teatro alla Scala, sang this pazzo (crazy) and very annoying made-up song (to the tune of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- har dee har har!) …

Looocheeeeeeuh the big-nosed Airedale

Had a very large black snoot

And if you ever saw her

You would ask does that thing hoot

… all throughout the holidays, honking on my glorious muso (nose) each time she sang the last line. Santo fumo (holy smoke), already!!! After a while, I had such a mal di testa (headache) from her relentless singy songing and nose pinching that I had to nab a couple of her aspirine (aspirin) and gulp them down with my dinner kibble. Jeeeze, give it a rest!

Third, I passed my Manners Matter class, where I learned a tad about T-Touch but more importantly learned how to follow certain commands like “drop” during a walk, “heel,” “leave it/take it” (I rarely leave it; mostly, I take it!!! Heeeeee!!!) and those other usual suspects, “sit,” “wait,” “down,” and “here” and sometimes even will actually do them when asked. Assuming there are magnificently puzzolente (stinky) (Nooooooo, not THAT Stinky!!) treats in the offing, naturally. La mia ragazza says I am a training-fickle ‘dale. Pllllllbbbbbbbb!!!!

Fourth, I will start Foundation Agility with the best teacher in the universe, Julie, in January. La mia ragazza says agility training will be just the thing to help us work off those holiday treats and goodies ... mmmmmmmm treats and goodies....

Fifth, I met my very own mini-me, a Welshie -- like Hootie, Taffy and Dyos! -- whom I call, 'Panga.

She was in my Manners Matter class and is also in my daycare group. I love my daycare group, and I adore my pal, 'Panga. Everyone says, oh Lucia, she is so cute, she looks just like you. Well, I know that!! Santa vacca, as if I don’t know what I look like!!!

Sixth, I was granted admittance to the Inner Sanctum, i.e., la casa di mio nonno (my grandpa’s house). Oh, I’ve always been allowed to visit there, but I was confined to the sun porch and was forbidden to be on any of the furniture. But now, Grandpa says I can come inside and even lets me take naps on il divano (the sofa) because he says I am un cane dolce (a sweet doggie).

Awwwwww, well sure I am! “Dolce” is part of my big official name, after all!! Now, of course, occasionally I get a little rowdy and grab up his pantofole (slippers) and chase around the house shaking one of them in my mouth, but COME ON, I’m a terrier! I have to grab and shake SOMEthing!!!

Seventh, I received un letto nuovo eccellente (an excellent new bed) and some wonderful pressies for Christmas, because, as la mia ragazza explained, I am a good girl. Ah, everybuddy loves Lucia!!!!

Eighth, and speaking of beds, because my beloved personal space – aka, my cozy crate --

-- is still at la mia zia Conni’s casa (where I will again), I slept crateless for the first time ever since coming to live with la mia ragazza. While I, Lucia, was perfectly and totally fine with curling up on the bedroom floor, la mia ragazza was so overstressed about my lack of crate that she patted the foot of the bed and said, “Lucia, up,” and that’s where I slept for the next few nights, before we came to Grandpa’s for Christmas. Full access to the hoooman bed!!! La mia ragazza says she was very proud of me because I didn’t crowd her too much. (Heeeeeeee!! THAT won’t be the case for long, will it!?!) She said, Lucia, you have nice manners … sheesh, I passed my manners class, remember!?!?!?

Ninth, la mia ragazza told me about my papa and showed me this fotografia of him, which is on the cover of an Airedale book that she found on the internets:

Isn’t he a dilly of a dad!? Just look at that fantastico profile!!!! Muahhhhh, muahhhh and triple muahhhhh!!!! La mia ragazza said Lucia, you look so much like your papa, which – for the love of Pietro (Pete) – why wouldn’t I???!?! He’s my papa!!

And tenth, speaking of gorgeous, handsome Aire-boys, my darlingest buddy, Cache, now carries the title CAMPIONE (CHAMPION) before his name!!! Yayyyyy! My beloved pal got his final AKC points in November. Here is his official photo. Isn’t he amazing and beautiful?? MUAHHHHS OF THE SMOOCHIEST ORDER!

Tanti baci, everybloggie!

Lucia

Almost Senza Parole Mercoledi

Questo è delizioso!

Ciao, miei amici!

La mia ragazza told me that a fotografia (picture) equals a thousand words, so I, Lucia, am delighted to present the following, ummm, eight thousand words for your personal enjoyment!

Tanti baci!
Lucia

My Sweet Little Friend

Ciao, miei amici --

My dear little next-door-neighbor doggie pal, Trigger the Yorkie, very unexpectedly went to the Rainbow Bridge today; my darling buddy was hit by a car during his afternoon walkies. Please keep his mama and papa in your thoughts and prayers, everybloggie.

Run with the wind, my sweet, darling friend!!! I will miss our walkies together, but I know I will see you again someday!

Lucia

To dig ... or to dive??? That is the question...

Ciao miei amici!

I, Lucia, have been away from bloggieland for a very long time and have missed all of my pals hooogely! Here I am, looking solitario (lonely) and molto triste (very sad)…

The fact is, a volte (sometimes) we have to look after il mio nonno (my grandpa) for a bit, and when we do … poof!

Without much – any!! – notice, we seem to scomparire (disappear) into thin air, like a mysterious magico atto (magic act). (Hmmm … does that make me the Great Ludini???? Or maybe Lucia Coppairefield….???? Heeeeeeeeee!!!!) Of course, we really haven’t disappeared; we are just away from the ‘puter for a while.

But … speaking of magically disappearing, while la mia ragazza and I, her darlingest gingery-furred Lucia, were away, I learned that my Principe Azzurro (Prince Charming), Busterigo,

and his famiglia (family) are thinking of disappearing down a rabbit hole – figuratively speaking -- into the vast nether-lands (will there be gouda? Mmmmm … gouda…)

in search of avventure (adventures) in Oz, lead by the intrepid Ms. Sephie and the insightful Ms. Bailey Blue. The problem, as I understand from il mio dolce Buster (my sweet Buster), is where to start digging this magical tunnel into fantastical new worlds. I discussed it with la mia ragazza and she said, “I don’t really know where to begin, Lucia, but I’d avoid tight, narrow passageways if I were you. They’re very creepy.” When I asked her why, she told me about a long, twisty trip she took up a flight of 463 steep steps in a dark, low-ceilinged corridor in Firenze (Florence), to the very tippy top of Signore Brunelleschi’s magnifico dome of the duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore.

She said that anydoggie with claustrophobic tendencies ought to avoid such kinds of confined places. Santa vacca, Santa Maria! I, Lucia, will heed questo consiglio (this advice) and will pass it along to il mio amato azzurro ragazzo (my beloved blue boy)! (Of course, la mia ragazza completely missed the point: Busterigo and his Kerry kin are digging DOWN, not climbing UP …. Sheesh!!!)

Ah, I digress … now, back to the conundrum of where to commence the dig. Ho un'idea!! (I have an idea!!) When I was visiting la mia zia (my aunt), Conni, and la mia cugina (my cousin), Heidi, last month, we drove past this place …

It is called Ruby Falls, and it has an amazing underground cascata (waterfall) …

Well, it made me think: perhaps not all passaggio sotterraneo (underground passage) entrances are meant to be dug. Maybe, just maybe, some are meant to be … dog paddled! As in … water! Eureka! I, Lucia, sat down with la mia ragazza at the lappytop and started to research potential watery entrances into magnificent adventures, explorations and fun. And of course, because I adore il colore azzurro (the color blue) so very, very much, I asked la mia ragazza to type “blue + water” into Google. Up popped page after page after page of results, which I steadfastly and dutifully plowed through until I stumbled on this: The Grotta Azzurra di Capri , in my beloved Italia!

A secret cave entrance!!! And it’s bluuuuuuuuuuuuuee!! Heeeeeeeee!!! Could the starting point for my blue boy’s big dig actually be a big dive through the Blue Grotto? Hmmm. Or!!! Perhaps there is a watery starting point right in Busterigo’s summertime back yard, The Pond!!!! Santo fumo!! The doorway to the big dig could be right under their collective blue noses…..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay tuned to the Kerry Blues’ bloggie for more details because something tells me this is one itinerary you won’t find on Google maps….

Tanti baci!
Lucia