Tag: Thomas Stig Wikman

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine shares Superfact number 7

Please take a look at Smorgasbord Blog Magazine’s post about my super fact #7 “Poverty and child mortality has been sharply reduced worldwide“.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Thomas Wikman’s Superfacts – Poverty and child mortality has been sharply reduced worldwide

My Post We Can See What Stars Are Made of Selected for Freshly Pressed

We Can See What Stars Are Made of
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When All is Said and Done

The focus of this blog is Leonbergers. However,  sometimes I post about other things and today I am making a lighthearted post about an English idiom that I find interesting. An idiom that is not used in my native language Swedish. The idiom is “When all is said and done”, and it is used to introduce a conclusion, or the most important fact to remember in a specific situation.

The one minute youTube video below is in regard to a demon possessed toaster. This poor lady is in a truly horrifying and nightmarish situation. The question is. What is the most important fact to remember in this specific situation? By watching the video, you will find out.

Last week I was reading a blog post in which one of the characters ordered Voodoo Rangers IPAs using door dash. I asked the author, John Howell, if you really can order Voodoo Rangers using door dash. He reminded me that his story was a work of fiction. However, I wanted to try whether it was possible to do that, and John encouraged me to try. So, I ordered a 12 pack of Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA using door dash (which they picked up from a store here in Dallas called Tom Thumb). As it turned out, I got my Voodoo Rangers from door dash. So, when all is said and done, you can order Voodoo Rangers from door dash. Below are a few of photos.

A 12 pack of Voodoo Rangers Imperial IPA standing on marble kitchen counter.
When all is said and done, you can order Voodoo Rangers using door dash.
The photo shows a can of New Belgiums Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA standing on our patio table, a gnome holding a beer and a sign saying, “Welcome to my beer garden.”
In my backyard drinking New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, ABV 9.0%, IBU 85. The aroma is floral and citrusy. The flavor is white bread, caramel, citrus, grapefruit rind and moderate pine resin. When all is said and done, this is good beer.
The photo shows a green lizard climbing up a wooden table leg.
A lizard is climbing up the patio table leg in my backyard. Maybe he wants a sip of beer. When all is said and done, lizards like beer too.

Finally, a 3 minute of ABBA’s somewhat sad song “When all is said and done”. It is a reflection on the end of a relationship.

25 Sweet Leonberger and Dog Photos

Today is the third time I participate in Linda Hill’s streams of consciousness. To read about the rules and participate click here, or here. To read my two previous entries (prompt was pre) click here “Prediction Failures and My Lucky Day from Hell”, or here “Reindeer Hide Memories”.

The badge features a twig with rain drops and it says Stream of consciousness Saturday #SoCS
2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley!

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday May 16 is “sweet”. Use it way you’d like. The first rule is: there should be minimal planning and no editing except typos. 

The first thing that came to my mind was how sweet my dogs have been and how many sweet dog photos I have taken of Leonbergers and of our other dogs throughout the years. I’ve also downloaded many shutterstock photos of Leonbergers. I intend to pick just a few of those. So, my stream of consciousness is to randomly pick sweet dog photos from the thousands of photos that I have. I will select 25 photos, but I don’t know yet which photos that will be. Let’s see!

25 Sweet Leonberger and Dog Photos my Quick Picks

This is color photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf.
Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
Our yellow Labrador Baylor is on the left and our brown and black German Shepherd Baby is on the right.
Our Labrador Baylor and our German Shepherd Baby. Photo taken at the same time as the photo above. However, we couldn’t get Bronco sit still between Baylor and Baby.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu is on our red sofa. You can see our pug Daisy in the upper left corner.
Our Japanese Shin Ryu when he was young.
Photo of our son David on the sofa holding a little pug puppy in his arms.
Our son David with our pug Daisy when she was a puppy.
The German Shepherd is lying on the floor and the Leonberger puppy is on his back.
Our German Shepherd Baby playing with our 4 months old Leonberger Bronco.
Bronco is standing on our red leather sofa giving me hug and a kiss.
Bronco our Leonberger is giving me a hug. He is about one year old and not yet fully grown.
Two brown Leonberger puppies lying on a wood floor.
Two Leonberger puppies. Shutter stock Photo ID: 2294202331 by Olga Shusters.
Ten Leonberger puppies sitting on a sofa. They are brown with black face masks.
Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.
Leonberger puppy running through green grass. The puppy has its mouth open, and he is looking straight into the camera.
Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.
Two sand colored Leonberger puppies playing in the snow. The play seems to be a little bit rough. Like all Leonbergers they have a black facemask.
Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.
Six Leonbergers with celebration hats are looking straight into the camera.
Six Leonbergers and a birthday celebration. Photo by friend Jen O’Keefe.
Seven Leonbergers lying or sitting on the sand on a beach.
Seven Leonbergers by the beach. Photo by my friend Jen O’Keefe.
Five Leonbergers lying in the grass. They are wearing hats showing the American flag.
Five Leonbergers including Digory on 4th of July 2023. Photo by my friend Jen O’Keefe.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (left) sleeping next to our beige pug Daisy (right).
Our Japanese Shin Ryu sleeping next to our pug Daisy.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (right) licking our pug Daisy’s ear (left).
Our Japanese Shin Ryu licking our pug Daisy’s ear.
Photo shows a little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy on top. He is looking up at us. Right below him is an English Bulldog puppy.
The day we picked up our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. He was nine weeks old. The other puppy is an English bulldog puppy.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on the grass.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on a blanket.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our pug Daisy on the right and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the left. They are on the sofa.
Our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right. They are in the backyard.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger standing behind our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our daughter wearing a pajama and petting our Pug Daisy and mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo.
Our daughter with our Pug Daisy and mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo.
Little Rollo is lying in front of Bronco. Rollo is on the left. Bronco is on the right.
Bronco our Leonberger and Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is playing with an orange volleyball on the green grass.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo playing with an orange ball.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo (left) is biting Bronco’s tail and pulling on it.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is playing with our Leonberger Bronco’s tail. Once he even dangled in it like a swing.

Finally, if you want to see other 25 sets of dog photos see below (this list I copied from another of my posts).

25 Photos of Leonbergers with Plants Flowers and Trees

This is another post with the “25 Leonberger photos” theme. This time the theme is “25 Photos of Leonbergers with Plants Flowers and Trees”. I think  plants, flowers and trees are perfect for Earth Day. I’ve selected photos of our late Leonberger Bronco that also feature plants as well as Leonberger photos by friends with greenery and stock photos showing Leonbergers with plants, flowers and trees. Below is a list of the previous posts using the theme 25 Leonberger photos.

Also, if you have not checked out my superfactful blog yet feel free to do so.

25 Photos of Leonbergers with Plants, Flowers and Trees

Our Leonberger Bronco’s head is sticking up above the bushes.
Our Leonberger Bronco in the bushes.
Our Leonberger Bronco standing on grass in front of bushes with flowers.
Our Leonberger Bronco at a park close to our house. On his right front leg there is missing hair from a surgery he had (toe amputation).
Our Leonberger Bronco lying on green grass and you can see our brick house in the background.
Our Leonberger Bronco on our front lawn.
Photo of a Leonberger standing on top of a bench and there are trees and a small red cabin in the background.
Amie, a female Swedish Leonberger on top of Skuleberget (Skull Mountain) in northern Sweden. We just happened to run into them after climbing the mountain.
Photo of a Leonberger standing on top of a bench and there are trees in the background.
Second photo of Amie. Amie and her owner had climbed the mountain.
Five Leonbergers wearing patriotic hats lying on grass by a lake.
This photo was provided by Jen O’Keefe, Urgent Animal Care of Arlington. From left to right; Obi, Delfi, Aslan, Gryphon, Digory.
Photo of a Leonberger standing in snow. In the background there is snowy forest.
Leonberger standing in a snowy forest. Shutterstock-ID: 705193912 by Eric Isselee.
Photo of a Leonberger puppy running in green grass on a field. My guess is that he is around two months old.
Leonberger puppy running in a field. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.
A majestic looking Leonberger is sitting on a green hill.
A majestic Leonberger on a grassy knoll. Shutterstock-ID: 731020957 by Peter Josto.
Photo of two Leonbergers swimming in a pond.
Two Leonbergers swimming. Tall grass in the background. Stock Photo ID: 1989806678 by Taibomaus.
Photo of a Leonberger swimming water and there is green tall grass in the background. The Leonberger has a ball in his mouth.
Leonberger swims with a ball. Stock Photo ID: 720242263 by Christian Mueller.
Photo of a Leonberger sitting on snowy ground. There is a lake in the background as well as snowcapped mountains.
Leonberger in a beautiful landscape. There are some grasses and plants. Shutterstock-ID:1333669760 by Britta Paasch.
Photo of a Leonberger and a pug running in snow. The pug is a head of the Leonberger.
Leonberger and pug running in the snow. There is a snowy forest in the background. Shutterstock- ID:1659034960 by AnetaZabranska.
Photo of two light brown Leonberger puppies playing in the snow in the forest.
Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. There is a snowy forest in the background. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.
Photo of a majestic dark and wet Leonberger standing in a river.
Leonberger standing in river. Brush in the background. Photo by Stephanie Lucero on Unsplash.
Leonberger dogs in field of purple flowers saying hello to each other.
Shutterstock Asset id: 450770140 by everydoghasastory
Leonberger puppy in front of white background. His head is covered by flowers.
Leonberger puppy with flowers in his hair. Shutterstock Asset id: 1921825460 by cynoclub.
Leonberger puppy in front of white background. His head is covered by flowers.
Leonberger Puppy with flowers on his head – Shutterstock Asset id: 2154719621 by cynoclub.
Leonberger puppy sitting next to pink flowers.
Leonberger puppy Stock Photo ID: 561111403 by Akbudak Rimma.
Leonberger puppy sitting on a white sofa. On his left is a bouquet of pink flowers.
Leonberger puppy on a white sofa Asset id: 561113224 by Akbudak Rimma.
A Leonberger is sniffing two pinkish-reddish tulips.
A Leonberger is sniffing a couple of tulips. Shutterstock Asset id: 1352450168 by EmmaEEVPersson.
An old Leonberger is lying down. In the background is beautiful nature, plants, and mountains.
Leonberger in nature in Norway. Stock Photo ID: 1779931691 by Britta Paasch
Two months old Leonberger running on green short grass and moss. There is a fallen tree in the background.
Leonberger puppy running on a green grass. There’s a fallen tree in the background. Asset id: 629624387 by TOM KAROLA.
There is also a grass in the background.
Woman and her Leonberger dog on grass. Shutterstock asset id: 1741753382 by Elena Podrezenko.
Majestic Leonberger standing on grass and there is a forest in the background.
Healthy Leonberger posing in front of a forest. Shutterstock asset id: 1474761425 by AnetaZabranska.

Happy Earth Day

Magic In New Orleans a Travel Overview

Esther’s writing prompt: March 18 : Magic

Click here or here  to join in.

Image is showing a man with skull face wearing a black top hat and he is surrounded by flames.
Voodoo shaman, african wizard man conjure, 3D illustration. Shutterstock Asset id: 2048753030 by artshock

We just came home from a trip to New Orleans, which is truly a magical city. New Orleans is not very far from Dallas, where we live, and we’ve been to New Orleans several times. However, it was a fun family trip with a theme. The theme we chose for our trip was Magic, including Vampires, Voodoo/Hoodoo, ghosts, pirates and St. Patrick’s Day. We also went on a ghost tour. Below are some photos from the Voodoo Museum, and miscellaneous voodoo, witches, vampire and pirate stores.

A skeleton wearing a black top hat. The skeleton has several cigarettes in its mouth.
From the Voodoo Museum.
Automated fortune teller in a glass box.
I used an automated fortune teller who told me to watch out for stepping on people’s toes. That is kind of strange since we hardly ever go dancing.

Photo Tile with photos from the Voodoo Museum, a Hoodoo Queen, vampire art, pirate, and witch store.

We also ate at a restaurant that has a ghost. The Muriel’s Jackson Square restaurant is allegedly haunted by a ghost that sits in the chair. The ghost is a former owner by name of Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan.

It is a photo of a table that is already set. There is an empty chair between my daughter and my son’s girlfriend.
The ghost is sitting between my daughter (right) and my son’s girlfriend (left).

What is Voodoo ?

Voodoo is a religion blending African traditions with Catholicism. It is originating from enslaved people in Haiti and Louisiana. It focuses on serving spirits and honoring ancestors and connecting with nature. It is not black magic. However, I admit I’ve made fun of the so called voodoo dolls. Marie Catherine Laveau was one the most prominent practitioners of voodoo. She was born a free woman of color in New Orleans’s French Quarter, Louisiana, on September 10, 1801. We saw her house. Below are photos from the Voodoo Museum.

Photo Tile from the Voodoo Museum

Vampire Café

We also did some vampire related things. New Orleans is often called the Transylvania of America. Author’s such as Anne Rice have brought attention to New Orleans and its vampire legends. I read a book with 40 short stories about vampires while we visited New Orleans. The book was Vermillion Highways by David Lee Summers and Lee Clark Zumpe. I will make a post about that book in a couple of days. We visited vampire stores and the famous Vampire Café. See the photos below.

A white sign stating Vampire Café.
Vampire Café
I am sitting on a chair in front of the Vampire Café drinking from a blood bag with a straw.
Me drinking (pretend blood) from a blood bag at the Vampire Café.
I am sitting on a chair in front of the Vampire Café drinking a glass of wine (Pinot Noir). The glass says Vampire Café.
Me drinking a glass of Pinot Noir. The name of the wine is Vampire, and it says so on the glass.

Photo Tile from Vampire Café.

I should say that we did other things as well. We visited the aquarium, rainforest, and insectarium, which is quite impressive. We celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day, and we made a couple of visits to the famous Pat O’Brien’s Pub. We all had a good time.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

Review of Balance of Nature

This is a Leonberger blog, but I sometimes post about books that are not about Leonbergers but books that I love and want to promote. With this post I would like to promote a truly great novel featuring Neanderthals and early Homo Sapiens. The book is called Balance of Nature by Jacqui Murray. It is the third book in a series called Savage Land.

Below is an overview of the three formats of Balance of Nature:

  • Paperback –  Structured Learning LLC (February 2, 2026), ISBN-10 : 1942101686, ISBN-13 : 978-1942101680, 305 pages, Item Weight : 14.6 ounces, dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.69 x 9 inches, it cost $15.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
  • Kindle – Structured Learning LLC (February 2, 2026), ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0G45MFBWW, ISBN-13 978-1942101697, 307 pages. It is currently $4.99 on Amazon.com and free with Kindle unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
  • Audiobook – Structured Learning LLC (March 8, 2026), ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GRG8XG1T, It is currently $14.99 on Amazon.com.  Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
The front cover features the title and author, a canine/wolf, a couple of humans or Neanderthals, and there is a large mountain in the background.
Front cover of Balance of nature. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.

Amazon Description of Balance of Nature

A tribe haunted by the past. Lies that threaten the future. A reason to find the truth.

Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face. Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.

In Balance of Nature, Book Three of the trilogy, the tribes face one final roadblock to reach what they hope will become their new home. They prevail but not without deaths and setbacks by collaboration and respect for the strengths of those they originally disdained. Now, in their homeland, where life should be about finding their place in a new landscape, instead, they find threats from old enemies and potentially lethal challenges.

Follow the courageous Yu’ung, the determined Kazeb, the mystical Shanadar, the pawed-and-clawed Canis and their tribes as they navigate a perilous world of tribal conflict, unexplained visions, and shifting loyalties. Their journey is a testament to resilience and the strength found in true leadership. Their personal struggles and heroic triumphs define this sweeping saga that ultimately leads to who we are today.

My Amazon Review of Balance of Nature

The Adventures of Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens by the Shoreless Sea

When I was young, I read Jean M. Auels’ novels set in prehistoric Europe and I loved them. Jacqui Murray’s books have a lot in common with Jean M. Auels’ books, but they are set at an earlier time. This series, Savage Land, takes place about 75,000 years ago (this is the third book in the series). In addition, we know more about prehistoric man now than we did back then and Jacqui Murray has certainly done her research. I loved Jean M. Auels’ books, and I love all of Jacqui Murray’s books. This book is a continuation of the previous book Badlands and is yet another thrilling prehistoric adventure involving both Neanderthals (the people and the clan) and Homo Sapiens (tall ones). Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens work together to reach a new homeland but there are some who have dark motives. There are hidden agendas, betrayal, and mysteries.

One aspect of this book and the previous books in this series and the previous series’ as well, are the Canis. Domesticated dogs probably did not exist 75,000 years ago, but they may have still interacted with humans, and the way the author uses them in the plots adds something to the stories that I really love. If you are a dog lover you will love Ump, Blaze, Ocha, Spirit, Ragged Ear, White Streak, and their loyalty, amazing abilities, and courage. There is a reference in the book to a previous book where Ump rescued Blaze and it brought back great memories of past adventures.

The book focuses a lot on Yu’ung who a female Neanderthal and a healer and she is also a leader of her tribe. There is also Fierce, the leader of a tribe of Homo Sapiens, Kazeb and Turk, the leaders of another Neanderthal tribe, and Shanadar a Shaman and mystic who lives at the outskirts of his Neanderthal tribe. There are many other characters both good and evil, of both species (Homo Sapiens / Neanderthals). The many characters added to the richness of the stories at the same time as the there is a risk for confusion. However, the author provided a list of the characters, their tribe belonging and role at the beginning of the book. I found this list to be very helpful. Whenever I was wondering “who is that dude again?” I looked at the list and there was no problem.

Another special feature I enjoyed was the “Questions You Ask” section at the end, where the author is listing answers to potential questions about Prehistory, Neanderthals, and the book. For example, you learn about Neanderthal genetics, how they lived, their use of fire, could they talk (yes), did they care for their sick (yes), the eruption of the super volcano Mt. Toba, and much more. There is also a bibliography.

Like all Jacqui Murray’s novels this novel is full of adventure, and it is captivating and realistic. You connect with the characters and their struggle for survival. The importance of cooperation and belonging for survival becomes clear and you will understand the advantage of everyone having a role and a purpose in the tribe. The book makes you wonder about all those millions of pre-historic humans who came before us so long ago. Our modern civilization has existed for a very short time, and it is easy to forget how privileged we are. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in adventure, especially if you are curious about prehistoric man.

Photo of the author, an overview of the author, and a description of the book.
Back cover of Balance of Nature. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version of the book.

About the Author of Balance of Nature

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. When not writing, she is grad schoolteacher, author of over a hundred tech ed resources including K-12 technology curricula, and an Amazon Vine Voice.

You can find her resources at her publisher, Structured Learning LLC. She lives in So. California with her husband of forty years, Labrador Casey, and lots of contact with her adult children, one a Cdr in the Navy, the other a SFC in the Army. Feel free to reach out to Jacqui at her blog, WordDreams, or her social media platforms.

These are some of her other books on prehistoric humans

These are some of my reviews or book blasts for her books

Baby Jack Came to Visit

I am sorry that I have not been very active in the blogosphere lately. We had a special visit from our five months old grandson Jack. Our son Jacob, his wife Ashley and baby Jack came to visit us last Thursday and they left Monday night and during that time I mostly ignored the blogosphere but now I am back. With this post I thought I would display a few baby photos. First there are a few photos from our visit to Baltimore to see baby Jacka couple of months ago and then the rest of the photos were taken during their visit to us here in Dallas, which took place during the last few days.

There are three photos. On the left is our son Jacob with baby Jack on his shoulders, top right our grandson Jack in the sofa, and bottom right Jacob and Ashley with newborn Jack.
Our son Jacob, his wife Ashley and our grandson at about 3 months old. In the bottom right photo, he is newborn.
A photo of a three months old baby sitting in the corner of a sofa.
Jack in the sofa. Three months old.
A photo of the three of us sitting in the sofa. Baby Jack is sitting on the right. He is wearing a Pajamas.
My wife Claudia is on the left, I am in the middle and Jack is on the right.
Our daughter is sitting in a swing holding baby Jack.
First photo from the last few days. Our daughter with baby Jack at five months old. This photo is from the past weekend when they visited us. That’s here in Dallas, Texas.

A Challenge for Dr. Pooper

It was a challenging few days for our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. Dogs being jealous of a baby is a very real thing. I’ve read that dogs don’t see us the same as a pack of dogs but something better than a pack, care takers and family. They typically prefer their human family over a pack of dogs. They understand the difference between dogs and people. Rollo does not really try to be a pack leader, but he cherishes his position as the baby in the family, and suddenly here comes a human baby out of nowhere.

The human baby gets lots of attention, he sits in a stroller just like Rollo sometimes did in the past, people use a baby voice when they talk to the human baby, like they do with him, and on top of it I called baby Jack, Rollo, instead of Jack several times. I can add that I recently also mixed up the cats Charlee and Chaplin on another blog. Rollo felt that things were taken from him and he growled at the baby a couple of times.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd sitting in a stroller.
Sometimes there are scary sounds and Rollo wanted to sit in the stroller we bought for our Pug Daisy. We have not been using that stroller since Daisy passed.

So, what we did was to pay a lot of attention to Rollo, making sure we did not exclude him, and we gave him treats every time he was in the same room as the baby. It turned out that this worked very well. This was something our daughter had looked up. Well, now when Jack has gone back to Baltimore, Rollo is back to being the supreme baby of the family, or the King of Texas if you will. Below are a couple of photos of Rollo in his new cap or coat, Dr. Pooper, a sort of advertisement for a Texas soda called Dr. Pepper. It was just for fun and he did not mind.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd is sitting on the floor. He is wearing his Dr. Pooper cap. The photo is from the side.
Rollo in his Dr. Pooper cap.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd is sitting on the floor. He is wearing his Dr. Pooper cap. The photo is from the back.
Rollo in his Dr. Pooper cap.

Baby Jack Photos

Our son standing by a pool and holding baby Jack.
Our son with his son, baby Jack.
My wife is holding a very happy baby Jack.
My wife Claudia and baby Jack.
I am standing in front of a pool holding a happy baby Jack.
Me and baby Jack.
Our daughter is standing and holding baby Jack.
Our daughter and baby Jack.
Baby Jack is sitting in a black stroller. He is laughing.
Baby Jack in a stroller.
Baby Jack is sitting in a black stroller. He is laughing.
Baby Jack in a stroller.
Baby Jack is sitting in a black stroller. He is smiling.
Baby Jack in a stroller.

National Love Your Pet Day

I was alerted to the existence of National Love Your Pet Day by this post. Because I was busy all day I did not get a chance to post anything until now. However, it is still National Love Your Pet Day here where I live.

National Love Your Pet Day is an annual observance dedicated to celebrating animals. With this post I just wanted to show some photos of our current dog the mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo and our past dogs the Labrador Baylor (mix ¼ Rhodesian Ridgeback), the German Shepherd Baby, our big Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, our Japanese Chin Ryu and our Pug Daisy. We love(d) them all and will forever be in our hearts.

Photos of our Dogs

My wife, opening the trunk of our red van as Baylor, our Labrador is preparing to jump.
My wife Claudia and our first family dog the Labrador Baylor. This was back in the day. Our niece gave us Baylor because she was going to college. In turn she had gotten him from a shelter. He was a mix, one quarter Rhodesian Ridgeback and three quarters Yellow Labrador. He was able to jump up into the trunk of our van. Baylor was my first dog (not my wife’s first dog), and he taught me a lot about being a dog parent.
The photo shows a yellow labrador swimming in the middle of an Olympic sized pool.
Our Labrador Baylor is swimming in Claudia’s parents pool. He loved swimming, and he loved that pool and swam in it a lot.
A dark brown and black German Shepherd walking around in a dog park.
Our German Shepherd Baby at the dog park.
Two dogs looking into the camera. An old yellow Labrador on the left and the dark brown and black German Shepherd on the right.
Our Labrador Baylor and our German Shepherd Baby. Baylor was older in this picture. We had just gotten our Leonberger Bronco.
The photo shows a Leonberger puppy wearing a red scarf. He is looking into the camera.
This is our Leonberger Bronco (Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle) at three months old.
Our Leonberger dog is standing on a red leather sofa, and he is leaning over to give me a hug.
Bronco our Leonberger dog was a very affectionate dog.
Three dogs sitting on the floor, a Leonberger, a Japanese Chin and a Pug.
Our Leonberger Bronco (Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle), our Japanese Chin Ryu, and our Pug Daisy in the front right.
Three dogs running. On the left and unknown dog, in the middle a yellow Lab and on the right a Japanese Chin.
At the White Rock Lake dog park. Baylor our Labrador in the middle. He was old in this photo. Our Japanese Chin Ryu on the right.
The photo shows a Pug in the front left and a black and white Japanese Chin in the back to the right.
Our Pug Daisy and our Japanese Chin Ryu.
Our Japanese Chin Ryu is licking our beige pug Daisy’s ear. She is sitting in front of a vent.
Our Pug Daisy often sat in front of vents when she was cold. Daisy and our Japanese Chin Ryu were very close, like a couple. Daisy was obviously grieving when Ryu died, from cancer a bit early at only ten years old. Bronco was grieving as well.
Daisy our beige pug is lying over the back of our beige leather sofa.
Daisy is exhausted after doing nothing for a whole day.
A big Leonberger splayed across a big wide red leather sofa.
Our Leonberger Bronco sleeping on our big red leather sofa.
Our Leonberger dog Bronco is standing in front of me and looking straight into the camera. I am sitting down.
Our old Leonberger dog Bronco is coming up to me. Maybe it is dinner time.
The photos show a cage containing two dogs, a black and white mini-Australian Shepherd and an English Bulldog.
In December of 2018 we picked up our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. His friend was an English Bulldog.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy on the floor and behind him is our big Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco is welcoming Rollo.
The photo shows a young mini-Australian Shepherd puppy and beige pug on a black spotted blanket.
Our pug Daisy and Rollo are saying hello.
The photo shows a dark brown and white mini-Australian Shepherd puppy sitting on a beige tile floor.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo at 3 months old.
The photos show a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy play fully lying on his side in front of our Leonberger Bronco.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo and our Leonberger Bronco.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd standing on a chair and having his front paws on the table.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo at the table on his seventh birthday. This is a more recent picture, from October of this year.
Two Leonbergers standing next to each other and wearing party headwear typical for a carnival.
Digory and Obi two old sweetheart Leonbergers sending all of your pets their love and sending all of you their love as well. Photo by Jen O’Keefe a friend.

Love Your Pets Every Day

Feel free to add links to your posts about pets in the comments. There is a maximum of two links per comment (how it is set up) so if you want to post many links you need to spread it out over many comments. I am late so don’t worry your comment being late. Any day is fine.

False Memories Strange Memories Unpleasant Memories and Amnesia

Esther’s writing prompt: February 18 : Memories

Click here or here  to join in.

Image showing a disintegrating brain.
I had what is called post traumatic amnesia, which fortunately is temporary. Shutterstock ID: 1685660680 by MattL_Images

I have false memories, memories of things I know never happened. Not too long ago I made a post on my other blog about false memories and collective false memories, referred to as the Mandela Effect. You can read about that here. In addition to false memories I have memories that are strange, but that I know happened. I also have gaps, or holes in my memory. Memories that are lost to amnesia.

It all goes back to a ski accident that I had at the age of 22. We were a group of youngsters who rented a bus and drove from Sweden to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria in Germany. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a beautiful Bavarian town, and it is one of the most famous German ski resorts. Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain is nearby Garmisch-Partenkirchen providing for an impressive scenery.

Mountains in the background. The town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the foreground.
The town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Photo by op23 on Pexels.com

I love skiing and I challenged myself by skiing fast and selecting difficult slopes but on one of the days I made a very bad decision. I have no memories of what follows in this paragraph. It is what I have been told. There was a steep double black diamond slope with a sign stating that the conditions were dangerous and not to go down this slope. I did it anyway, and I fell badly, hit my head (I had no helmet), and I got a severe shoulder displacement. My arm was hanging on my back. I went looking for my skis and I tried to put them back on to continue skiing, but some Germans came down to stop me.

An ambulance was called, and they sent snowmobiles to pick me up. However, the snowmobiles were unable to get there, so they used a pist-machine to pick me up instead. On the way down I discovered my shoulder displacement several times. I was equally shocked every time. That’s how they knew that my short term memory was gone. I also had no pain sensation.

Photo of Zugspitze.
Zugspitze Germany’s highest mountain. Photo by Oskar Gross on Pexels.com
Me standing in the ski slope in Breckenridge leaning on a sign that says “Caution”
This is me in the ski slope when I was young. This is not Garmisch-Partenkirchen, it is Breckenridge, Colorado, but I don’t have any photos of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Amnesia

The next few days after the accident I suffered from amnesia. I did not remember where I was or my friends. I should say I still remembered my name. The first 2-3 days after the accident are essentially gone. However, I remember my friends coming into my room asking me questions such as “what’s my name?”, “do you remember me?”, “do you know where we are?”. The leader of the trip was devastated, and she was allegedly crying all day. You can say that I ruined the trip for everyone.

False Memories

On the way down to Germany, at the German border we changed out our studded tires because studded tires are not allowed on the autobahn. As my memories started to return on the third day after the accident my friends asked me what happened at the German border. I told them that we had studded tires (that part was correct) and that we all took pliers and removed the studs (that part was false). The funny thing is, to this day I remember us walking around the bus with pliers and removing studs. However, I know this never happened. How did that false memory get implanted in my head?

Strange Memories

I also have some strange memories from that trip that according to my friends happened. We stayed at a youth hostel. It was nice but it had a strange feature. There were loudspeakers in all the hallways. At 10:00PM on our first evening at the youth hostel the loudspeakers came on and someone started shouting in German “Achtung! Achtung! All guests must now wash their faces and brush their teeth and the lights started dimming and women and men had to go to their quarters. Music is forbidden. The loudspeaker came on every now and then barking orders at us in German and all windows and doors were locked electronically. Being from Sweden we followed orders, but we were laughing about it.

Suddenly new voices started shouting in the loudspeaker. It was younger sounding voices. It was still in German but this time we were told to rebel against the hotel management, we were told to refuse to go to bed, and they started singing fighting songs in German. Then, suddenly the loudspeakers went quiet. The hotel management was back. We all had to go to bed. It sounds like a false memory, but this one is real. Well, it was budget lodging after all.

Unpleasant Memories of Statistical Mechanics

Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now it is our turn to study statistical mechanics.
The epic opening of the first paragraph in David L. Goodstein’s States of Matter, a textbook on Statistical Mechanics.

The epic opening above from the textbook says : Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now it is our turn to study statistical mechanics.

One day I found a book on Statistical Mechanics under my bed, and some very unpleasant memories came back to me. I had a final exam in Statistical Mechanics after our vacation. Statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities.

More specifically, you do statistical calculations over large sets of atoms and molecules to figure out the macro condition of the corresponding gas or material. For example, temperature corresponds to the average kinetic energy of atoms, and entropy refers to the logarithm of the number of microstates compatible with the system’s measurable macroscopic state, often loosely referred to as the disorder of the system. Statistical Mechanics includes classical Statistical Mechanics as well as its Quantum Mechanical counterpart, which is a lot more abstract and complicated.

Picture showing molecules of various sizes moving fast.
In 1905 Albert Einstein proved the existence of molecules and atoms using statistics and an observed phenomenon called Brownian motion. Shutterstock ID: 2334052703

Once I was back in Sweden, I went to see my professor, and I explained the situation to him: “hello professor, I had a ski accident, hit my head, and I lost my memory. My amnesia made me forget statistical mechanics.”. He could also see that my left arm was in a cast. I said, “could I take the exam a little later?” He asked me “are you right-handed or left-handed?” I said, “I am right-handed”. The professor answered, “well then you take the exam on time like everybody else”. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear but I took it, and I passed but not with flying colors.

It may seem like my professor was a bit harsh. However, I was later thinking that maybe he had a lot of students coming into his office claiming head injuries with amnesia. It was after all a final exam in statistical mechanics.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts