Allie came in season early this month. Good she will be ready to be bred before Christmas and the breeding will be all done and over and I can be home for Christmas this year. Last year I flew out on Christmas Eve, arriving Christmas day and returning on the 27th to pick up Billie from her trainer. This was necessary because I was out of vacation days at work…imagine that. I always tell my boss it is those employees that never take time off you have to worry about! So back to Allie 10 days out progesterone is still low, test again, slowly moving up, and again and again, fast approaches Christmas and finally a progesterone result that has numbers with some predictability as far as timing. I plan to leave for Germany on the 26th. Mos tells me I need to leave on the 24th. Oh man…I just hate to do this again two years in a row. I have no problems traveling by myself, but at Christmas, it does get a little melancholy away from those you love best.

Air travel these days is never easy, but I have to say this was. Detroit Metro was eerily quiet compared to normal. My regular Sky Cap was at home with his family so I ended up pushing my crate and luggage through the airport until one of the wheelchair people helped me out. Not a person in a wheelchair but one of the persons that push the wheelchairs around. Once the Delta employees decided to help me, check-in was a breeze…they see a dog, the counter personnel get busy doing other things hoping if they ignore you, you will go away. I guess they don’t like doing the paperwork.

I was the only one at security and they directed me to the full body scan. I had a fit. One because it reminds me of an MRI and two, I don’t need people looking at the fat contours of my body. The TSA agents, I think they were bored senseless, showed me how the scanner has changed by going through it themselves and letting me see their images. The image that comes up is an avatar and looks the same for everyone and if nothing is flagged no image at all will show. OK I was cool with that.

Two hours to take-off I went to the Delta lounge. All the TVs were tuned to the Detroit Lions Christmas Eve football game against the San Diego Chargers. The atmosphere was festive and everyone in the lounge was cheering for the Lions. It was really fun, on to another win cinching a playoff spot (I think).

The flight to Franfurt was 45 minutes early due to a good tailwind, sweet. Picked up my rental car which I reserved online for just under $200. I was told that the insurance I paid for through carrentals.com would not be honored and I had to take their insurance at 17 eu a day and it is required another 11 eu a day for snow tires—never mind there isn’t a snow flake in all of Germany. My rental went from just under $200 USD to just under 400 eu which is closer to $600 USD. I had this happen before using carRentals.com do NOT use them! I rented an economy car so it was necessary for me to take the crate apart to fit in the car. No problem I was prepared for this and brought leather gloves to help give me some leverage for the tighter screws. All the screws came out easily except for one stinking one which was rusted tight. I went to get help and the car rental people just shrugged at me, like not our problem. I went back and tried some more, there was no way I was going to get it. I had to take desperate measures, I pulled the crate in front of the rental car employees and blocked the driveway…they had a choice, move me by force or help me. Note to myself in addition to the gloves include a small can of WD-40 in my luggage.

Two hours, it took to get my rental car loaded and to drive 15 km, crazy. I get to “Motel One” a German chain. Clean-modern rooms with internet. I stay at this motel frequently. I arrive at Noon. There is a total of two cars in their parking lot. The receptionist will not let me check-in. “Check-in time is 15:00 (3 pm).” Ok I understand, but I would like to check-in now. “You must come back at 3.” I didn’t argue anymore I have run into these type of German people who insist ” you must follow the rules.” Across the street is another motel and they will let me have a room immediately. Thank you!

I spent the rest of Christmas day sleeping and for dinner I found an open gas station and bought a package of cheese and a hard roll, this was my actual Christmas dinner. Monday morning the Grünewald’s treated me to a wonderful German breakfast and Allie met her beau. Allie LOVED him! Really she did. They first met between a fence, her tail was wagging so fast it looked like a propeller, that is when she wasn’t backing herself into the fence. The breeding was super easy, Franco is an excellent stud dog and the timing was perfect. Mos you were right…again.

That evening (Monday) I found a good German restaurant, the Isenburger Hof, Neu-Isenburg, and treated myself to a Christmas-goose dinner, delicious.

served with glacé chestnuts

Dessert was on house.