Although the weather warmed up a lot this week, we had a pretty nasty storm on Thursday night that cooled everything down again. I wasn’t sure if Bill and I were going to want to go to the wine stand last night, because the weather was still kind of iffy. But, as the afternoon wore on, the temperature went up, and the sun sort of peeked out again. Bill and I decided at the last minute that Noyzi would be joining us at the wine stand.

I know a lot of Americans have a hard time grasping why anyone would want to take their dog anywhere public. Or, at least that’s the impression I got on a recent social media post, during which I got shamed for admitting that we take Noyzi out sometimes. Here in Germany, it’s a normal thing to take your dog with you, especially if the event is outdoors. Noyzi does get nervous in new situations, but it’s good for him to be exposed to other people, dogs, sights, and sounds. It helps him become a better canine citizen.

Besides, he’s a great ice breaker. Germans seem to love him. And really, what is NOT to love about this dog? He’s very charming in every way. 😉 And he’s obviously very comfortable in this environment, especially when he’s in his bed.

We got the wine stand at a little bit past six o’clock. At first, Noyzi was a bit nervous. He hasn’t been in public in awhile. They also just added a book schrank to the Dorfplatz, which he had never seen before. When a boy opened it to retrieve a book, Noyzi was very startled by the sound and the sight. Bill took him over to check it out, and after that, it wasn’t so scary to him anymore.

After about 45 minutes or so, a couple of locals came over to say hello to Noyzi. He was a little timid at first, but quickly warmed up. It’s amazing to see how much he really loves people and wants to be friendly. There was a time when he was petrified of men. Now, after the briefest hesitation, he wags his tail and eagerly says hello. He also loves Bill now, and begs him for belly rubs every night when Bill comes home from work. I’m still the queen bee, though, and he listens to me a lot better than he does Bill.

I got a few photos of last night’s festivities. They aren’t super exciting shots, but we did have a really good time. Breckenheim is such a friendly town, and people are very social. That’s probably why the photos aren’t that exciting. We were too busy chatting.

Noyzi was shedding even more than usual last night, so he got a bath this morning. I don’t know what we’ll do today. The weather is a bit overcast, but it’s not super hot outside. Maybe we’ll go to a Biergarten or something. Noyzi would love that.

We ran into our neighbor on the way home. She’d asked me earlier if I’d ever heard of a Texas seasoning sauce called Dale’s. I hadn’t… but I said I’d asked Bill. When I found it listed on Amazon, I decided to order some. I told her we’d hook her up. It’s a good way to keep neighbor relations healthy. She mostly talks to us when she wants American products… but as long as it keeps the peace, it’s not a big deal.