Merry Christmathzs!

Merry Christmathzs Dadthzs!

As you know, I've been at Grandpa's for a few days.  On Saturday, my day played out like an old familiar Christmas tune:  "Over the (Mississippi) River and through the woods, to Grandmothers house we go....."  I got to spend the day with Grandma Helen's family in Minneapolis.  I wore my new outfit and Collin took these portraits of me.  I felt really special.

Today, I'm back to work later in the morning, and then back to Camp Carnelian tonight.  The forecast is for bitter cold the next whole week, so I doubt we will be doing much outside.  It's looking like a week of hunkering down after work with a blanket and some popcorn.  That really doesn't sound so bad actually.

I think we're hosting a party on New Years Eve.  I'll make sure to send some pictures in my next note.

Love,
Your handsome 12 year old Bruiser

PS:  Thanks for the new sweater and plush toy for my birthday! 
PPS:  Summer says thanks for her new sweater and plush toy too!

Bruiser "Danger" Bottolfson is back! In a snow globe!

Hi Dadthzs,

Today is so awesome I had to write ASAP!

I didn't have to go to work today.  I stayed home with Summer and we helped Brett in his home office.  The best part about working from home is that we usually get a day time walk when it's most light outside.  I always feel a little safer when it's light out.

So, we took our normal walk over the lunch hour (it just started snowing again):

Then we got back and I got to walk on the lake for the first time!!  Brett went out there first to test it, but then Summer and I got to follow.  This was SO FUN Dadthzs!!  The snow is falling and it's so pretty outside. Pretty exhilarating for me! 

Collin and grandpa are coming to pick me up at the office on Friday afternoon.  I have a spa appointment Friday morning so I'm fresh for the holidays.  Then I will be at Camp Bottolfson until next Tuesday, spending both Christmas (and my birthday) there.  I hear the people talking about how cold it's going to get here on my birthday - not sure if the high temp will reach zero.  So I'm hoping Collin or grandpa makes a fire in the fireplace and let's me stay snuggly warm inside.

Before I sign off, Auntie Jill gave me an early birthday present yesterday when we stopped by on our way home from work.  She said I might need to step up my wardrobe if I'm going to apply for a new job next year when we move to Colorado Springs.  Auntie Jill said not all jobs are as laid back in their dress code as we are at Autumn.  Here's the new outfit she got for me:

Damn, I'm handsome and distinguished.

HO HO HO,

Bruiser "Danger" Bottolfson

Holiday decorating, SNOW SUCKS, and Christmas lists

Hi Dadthzs,

I want to start by letting you know I'm feeling much better after almost a week of medicine in my ears.  Getting that stuff squirted in my ears was so gross and irritating, but it sure made me feel better quick.  I'm back to 100%.

Last Sunday, when the Packers were getting their fannies handed to them by Cleveland (until Q4), JuJu decided she was going to put some Christmas decorations up around the house.  Little did I realize how much exercise that would be for me.  JuJu went downstairs to get a box out of the closet, and I followed her downstairs.  JuJu brought the box upstairs to unpack, and I followed her back up.  Over and over and over until I finally figured out I could save myself some effort and park my butt on the landing.  I never got too far away from JuJu and the action after that.  (Plus I can see the popcorn machine from where I'm sitting, and that's never a bad thing)

We've still been walking a lot. In fact last weekend we did 2 walks per day for about 7.5 miles total on the weekend.  We have snow now & my paws get all packed when we walk through the field at Tucker's house.  A week ago, Brett bought me some nice/rugged boots but I had those kicked off my paws in the first 1/4 mile.  So that didn't help.  Now that I've got a solid week of snow walking behind me, it's getting easier.  On Thanksgiving, Grandpa Bruce told JuJu not to baby me & get me boots.  I think Grandpa's words were "he needs to toughen up."  Well, I'm getting tougher Dadthzs - and I'm learning to quickly pick the snowballs out of my paws so I don't fall too far behind on our walks.  Kasey told me she has the same problem and gave me tips on how to dig it out.  Kasey is a great friend.

Less than 2 weeks to my birthday & Christmas!  I'm getting my fluff & puff on 12/22 so I'll be looking super sharp and fresh for both events.  Did you get my list to walk down to Santa?  In the event that it missed the last flight, here is a quick recap.  (Auntie Jill also asked for this list - I think I'm getting presents from her too!)

• Treats
• Zukes chicken filets are my favorite
• Greenies
• Bully stick
• I tried some new salmon treats & really liked them 
• Stuffed animal (I have torn up snake & skunk, as well as a penguin & sheep that Summer got last year)

It's kind of sad that I can't think of anything more for my list.  I have more than most dogs, and this time of year I feel bad for other dogs who don't have a warm & safe place to live, or people to love on them everyday.  I think about my new friend Maggie Sandberg who spent most of her life outside competing with mean dogs for food and a place to take short naps, when I get fed twice a day PLUS treats and sleep on a Tempurpedic bed.  I am beyond blessed to have so many people in my life who love me & tell me so every day.  Then I have the bonus of butt scratches, treats, walks & belly rubs.  I remain the humble and grateful dog you raised, Dadthzs.  I guess I'm just feeling extra grateful today & a little nostalgic during the holidays.

Say hi to Santa & I'll write again soon.

Love,

Bruiser

A visit to see Dr. Jay + I met more new friends

Hey Dadthzs,

Don't be super alarmed by the title of today's blog post.  I AM OK!!

Let's start with today's trip to see Dr. Jay. 

Yesterday, JuJu noticed that I kept shaking my head side to side, flapping my ears.  She looked in my ears with a flashlight (I don't know why I'm so scared of that, but I really don't like it), and then dug around in my ears a little with a paper towel.  Not much came out, so she thought maybe I had a little spider bite or something.  Then today, I started out in the morning with a lot of head shaking and ear flapping so she knew it was something more.  Brett came & picked me up on my lunch hour and took me to see Dr. Jay.  I was immediately diagnosed with a double ear infection.  (So much for JuJu's spider bite diagnosis - she should just stick to being the treat dispenser.)  Now how in the world would I get that when I haven't been swimming in at least 2 months?  I haven't shown any signs of discomfort.  Maybe I'm tougher than these people give me credit for?   Now I have to get a nightly treatment of Automax squirted in my ears, before bed.  Brett is an expert at administering it because Summer has an ear infection all the time.  But this is going to involve more hands around my head, which I don't like at all.  I hope JuJu bought some good treats to get me through this.


Friday night I met Winnie, Izzy & Maggie.  They all belong to the Sandberg clan.  Summer has known Winnie & Izzy for a few years (in fact, Summer stayed overnight at their house when JuJu and B came out to Washington DC for your promotion ceremony).  Maggie is the newest addition, and Summer hadn't met her before either.  Here is the best picture JuJu could get with all 5 of us at the same time.  Auntie Shelley is giving us treats to keep us still.

Maggie is the black dog on the right.  She is only 7-8 months old and she came from an Indian reservation in North Dakota (hey, wasn't I born in North Dakota too?).  They called her a "rescue".  After getting to know her a little, I learned that she never got any love or any regular food her whole life prior to being rescued.  She had to sleep outside and didn't know where her next meal would come from.  She is still pretty skinny, but Dadthzs her heart is as big as mine!  She is a real love bug.  I think I figured out that "rescue" means she gets a new opportunity to use her gifts to bless others. 

The next red dog to the left is Winnie.  She is a rescue too. She is a really fast runner & was really nice and welcoming to me.  I think she's the quiet boss of the house. 

The white dog is Izzy.  She's an English Cream Retriever, so I think that means we must be relatives somehow.  She is really pretty, and she's super soft like me too. 

Then there's me!  Look how patiently I'm waiting for my turn.  Shelley has good treats & I was trying to make a good first impression.

Then you have Summer in the back row.  She's on her own program, and she likes to have her own space.  Some would call that a Diva, but she's my bud so I wouldn't say that (out loud).

So, Friday night the fur kids out numbered the humans 5:4.  The Sandbergs even let me sneak up on their couch after supper.  They are really good hosts.

Yesterday it was auntie Jill's birthday and we hosted the party at Camp Carnelian.  Jill invited 2 families they are real close with - The Guzzo's and the Brunette's - along with B and then the 4 of us who live at Camp.  I had already met the Guzzo's at Ryan's birthday party, so they gave me a warm and familiar welcome.  My 2 new friends are Andrew and Lorie Brunette, and guess what Dadthzs!  Lorie came with treats for me!!  She told JuJu in advance how excited she was to meet me.  The Brunette's lost their beloved Simon this year when he went to heaven.  I heard he looked a lot like me and he acted a lot like me too.  I keep hearing the word "swagger" when they talk about Simon.  I bet he and I would have been great friends.  We would have been the dynamic duo of "Swagger and Big Pimpin'".  The ladies wouldn't have had a chance!! I got a lot of attention from Miss Lorie.  She even sat on the hard wood floor just to be next to me.  Wow, I felt really special. 

Super fun weekend, and now we face another work week ahead.  Today's high temperature is almost record setting at 58 degrees.  By this time tomorrow the "feels like" temperature is going to be 5.  Yep.  Single digit 5.  JuJu gave me the furminator treatment yesterday & took out a lot of my soft undercoat.  I hope that wasn't a mistake.  I need function more than fashion now the rest of the winter. 

Hey, I almost forgot!  I got another new nickname.  Elli Bleu calls me "Little Boy Bru".  Elli is bringing Jodi over for dinner tonight.  I'm excited to see them both.

Love,

Your little boy Bru

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Dadthzs!

It's getting colder at Camp, and days are getting shorter (and darker - thank goodness for my LED collar!).  I go to work in the dark and I come home from work in the dark.  JuJu was looking at your current daylight situation at Thule AFB, and she told me you have total darkness now until mid February.  With that knowledge, I will try to do a better job of writing more often so you have some bright spots in your day.

Here's something that should brighten your day:  I am learning how to be an awesome Uncle.  Last night, Rob came over with Kasey and Bailey.  At 8:00, JuJu sat down to watch her favorite show called This Is Us. (I am really starting to like this show a lot too, because JuJu usually cries or gets tears in her eyes every episode, so I can use my mad skills of Comforting during the show.)  So I took my position on the couch, and look who came up to snuggle with me.

I can't take all the credit on this.  As you can see, the 3 of us adult dogs also encouraged Bailey to have patience and sit for a treat:

I have also learned that Brett likes popcorn almost as much as me.  Now that we spend more time indoors, Brett makes popcorn just about every night.  As soon as I hear that thing start popping down stairs, I run down to help.  You know me Dadthzs, I am a Protector too.  I guard doors, I'm always looking out the window, etc.  Well this popcorn machine is no different.  I guard this thing with my life.  Brett makes really good popcorn, and he shares it with me all the time.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I am going to the farm in Lake Elmo with Summer.  We will spend most of the day there with B, the Strobels, and grandpa Bruce.  Brett & JuJu are going to St. Cloud for the day.  I like the farm, and I'm really looking forward to hanging out with that crew for the day, as they are all pretty generous in the treat department.  I bet Summer and I will get some real turkey from B when we help carve, not just the scraps. 

Love you Dadthzs,

Bru

PS:  Summer and I are taking the day off work on Friday to help JuJu bake Christmas cookies.  It's nice to have unused PTO for a day after the holiday. 

PPS:  If I mail you my Christmas list, are you close enough to Santa to just walk it over to his house?  Are you guys in the same neighborhood?

Veterans Day

Happy belated Veterans Day Dadthzs,

I don't think you're technically a Veteran, but we are celebrating you anyway. 

On the actual Veterans Day (Saturday), we had a gorgeous day here at Camp Carnelian.  JuJu and Brett worked on cutting up a few trees, and Summer and I got to supervise.  Here is a picture of me supervising (my work is NEVER done, even on the weekends):

The best part of the day was when a group of four WWII fighter planes kept circling over the lake.  They flew in formation, they let off a bunch of smoke trails, then they finished with a missing man formation.  We all stopped our project to watch them, and were reminded (with goosebumps) of all who have gone before us to give us freedom to truly be free people: to worship God without fear of being killed for our beliefs; the rights for all men AND women to vote;  the safety to cut up some wood in our backyard without the sound of war just down the street.  We are so blessed as a nation of free people.  Thank you (and all) for your service to give us freedom.

Switching gears:  (How do you really transition from Freedom to puppies?  That's a tough one)

JuJu forgot to get a picture of me and Kasey's new sister Bailey on Sunday when we watched the Packers vs. Bears with them.  Bailey is about the size of my head, and she is really revved up for about 5 minutes, then she sleeps for 20 minutes.  Then rinse and repeat.  JuJu told me I was a really good boy with the little puppy.  I figured if she got too out of hand, I could always sit on her.  But she was actually pretty good, so I let her play with me.  Here is her picture, by herself, until I can get my picture taken with her.

I miss you Dadthzs, but I'm doing really well.  No complaints here at Camp.  We have lots of action at work and at Camp, so I'm pretty tired at the end of the day.  But it's a good tired.  In fact, I snore so loud some nights that Brett turns on the fan to drown me out.  

Hey - I almost forgot!  JuJu renamed her new car after me:  It's now called "The Brubaru"  HA!

Love,

BruMan

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Dadthzs!

I got back to work today (late start, 10:00, but fired up and ready to go!).  We had a costume contest and a chili cook-off that were both super fun.  Here are a few pics for you:

I am Mufassa and Summer is SuperGirl:

Here is Summer "sitting pretty" so you can see the rest of her costume:

Here is Demazy.  I'm sure you remember her - she works here part time (usually just Fridays).  She was happy to get a few more hours in this week, but not so happy about the cost of her pride:

Last but not least, here was our whole crew (except Demazy, who was protesting):

I had a great time at Grandpa's this past week.  Grandpa is walking 4+ miles at a crack now too.  I am glad I had some time to ramp up to this kind of mileage.  

Happy Halloweenie Dadthzs!

Love,

Mufassa "Danger" Bottolfson