Mignon Naegeli

The Wall, detail. Copyright © 1989 Mignon Naegeli It was the ninth of November, 1989. The Female and the Wolfman had lived in the United States for more than twelve years when the pivotal event occurred; a foretoken of the end of the Cold War. My humans lived in a town in Tennessee that was built in the early 1940. The Secret City, as it now is lovingly called by its Convention… Read More

Dear Debbie and Fara, You may have heard that our humans had serious health issues lately. We four-legged ones did sense the stress and despair, but it was never really related to us except for longer stays home alone. My big sister had to endure those hours in her crate. Good medical help and hearty Homines sapientes contributed to speedy recoveries. A brace for the Wolfman plus some good physical therapy mended… Read More

The day the Wolfman told the Female that he was accepted to Cornell University, she decided it was time to learn to read and write the language that would become the way to express herself—something that was of utmost importance to her—once they would come to America. A learning institute was out of the question; too boring and not enough time anyway. Autodidact was already one of her many acquired titles, making… Read More

Picture of Alexander and Martha Kocher-Bürki, the Female’s grandparents (photographer unknown) This tale is of childhood remembrances, family lore, and a good portion of “what is—what was.” Alexander Kocher’s passion for the railroads started in his early childhood in Büren on the Aare river. Most of his family, as was common in western Switzerland of the late 19th century, made a living turning tiny wheels into what became renowned as the Swiss Watch…. Read More

Actually, I had planned to give you, my faithful readers, a deserved rest from my bubbling writings, at least until my next Whereabouts. Yet, listening to the Female’s latest story, I do feel the need to share this mind-blowing tale with you. A story of Little Heideli, as the Female was called in her early years, was permanently stamped into her mind of remembrances: Her beautiful mother, the Big Heidi (who was… Read More

Also known as Bernese Mountain dog, Berner Sennenhund, Dürrbächler, and in French, Bouvier de Berne, this kind of Berner is a long-haired beauty with an exceptional feeling of devotion for the human being. Unfortunately this magnificent breed is considered to have a very short life span of 6-8 years, one of the shortest of most large breeds (source: Wikipedia). My family was lucky. The four Berners they owned lived between nine and a… Read More

A short description of the Wolfman’s and the Female’s country of birth is in order at this point, especially since most of their canine companions, including my big brother Ziggy, descended from this tiny nation, no larger than East Tennessee. Modern Switzerland is a federation of 26 states, called cantons. The nation recognizes four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh (a modern language descended from Latin and spoken in the southeastern mountain… Read More

One day, when the Female was working for a famous fashion photographer in Zurich, she came about a huge, heavy book that had the feeling of urgency. Urgencies to conquer life, understanding Greek mythology, and above all: The male human. She booked a train, and a ferry across the English Channel, to a sleepy town in Cornwall. She took a room in a simple bed and breakfast, schlepping instead of fancy clothing, this… Read More