A Visit To The Hairdresser Is In Store.

 Tomorrow is the big day, chopping day.

We had planned on getting some pet clippers and a muzzle in order to give Maxi a proper haircut. Those odd pieces I have been cutting off don't really make a difference and unfortunately he won't allow me to cut more, hence the muzzle.

Well, we stood in the petshop looking at these muzzles and couldn't believe the price of them, never mind that they didn't have his size. Thankfully so. Somehow the thought of putting these on my poor Maxi was terrible. What would he think of me?

The two of us must have stood there for at least ten minutes going over the pro's and con's of doing Maxi's hair on our own and finally settled on finding a professional to do it. As luck would have it, the sales assistant heard us and told Bob about the various leaflets from pet groomers that were next to the check-out.

Bob found that special one. A grooming salon in Oberwart who are much less expensive than we thought and who, upon phoning for an appointment, were extremely friendly and helpful. Yes, we made an appointment and it is tomorrow afternoon. When I told her that our dog tends to be a bit cranky she just told us that she'll take extra care to put him at ease. Oh, how divine.

So, now that the appointment has been made the two of us are like giddy children who can't wait for a present. So excited at how much better our boy will feel with shorter and neater hair. Especially his fringe which is far too long but which entails the possibility of my fingers being injured if I come to close.

Gosh, today I caught myself thinking about pre-washing and grooming him for his appointment so that the lady doesn't think badly of us! How silly, because that is what a dog groomer is there for. To do her magic from beginning to end. Repeatedly throughout the day both of us have told Maxi that soon he will be an even more handsome boy. Ja, ja, I know; dog and cat parents take the biscuit. I wonder if Maxi will come back with a blue bow tied around his head?

Biggi

Veganuary In Full Swing.

 An abundance of vegan offerings.

January is used by many as a month of  being or becoming vegan. A chance to try this lifestyle without the pressure of permanence. Of course after a month of vegan life many switch permanently, seeing how easy it is to adopt and how great they feel.

This idea of Veganuary started in Britain but has taken ahold in many parts of the world, Austria included. Today I saw adverts from Lidl & Hofer praising this month of vegan try-out and making sure that a lot of vegan products are on their shelves. Brilliant.

Bob and I were headed into town this morning and did the usual suspects in the line of groceries. Lidl was stacked full with vegan foods, ranging from cheeses, joghurts, schnitzels, chocolates, muffins and fresh ravioli.

Thank goodness I had Bob at my side because I would have bought everything. I couldn't believe it when Bob told me that all of it was processed and not that healthy.( Normally I am the one who tends to veto many shopping trolley residents ) I had a packet of chocolate muffins in one hand and oreo  cookies in the other. Deep down I knew how bad they are but it still would have been nice to try. But still, nicely done Bob. Keep us healthy!

The fact that there is such a variety and abundance of vegan foods ( albeit the processed kind ) stems me happy as it means that more and more people are changing the way they eat and thus helping stop climate change, cruelty to animals and improve their health.

January is also the month where gazillions of people go on a diet, again! If only they realized that eating a vegan diet ( not so much the processed stuff but the fresh and homemade meals ) is the best diet there is, and a permanent one. Weight comes off and stays off. Veganuary would kill two birds with one stone...

Biggi