Say What?

We had to take Charlie to the vet a couple of years ago because of a persistent cough. At the time, the vet told us it was esophageal collapse; a not uncommon condition in dogs, possibly brought on by years of using a collar and leash when walking him. She said it wasn't a fatal condition and then prescribed prednisone to see if that would help. When it didn't, she gave us oxycodone to use as necessary. We used the drug a few times and neither of us liked the way it left him tired and not his normal self.  Charlie's coughing has gotten worse in the past few months so Tammy went online to research the matter more. She found another possibility of what is happening with him; a condition called acid reflux , with the remedy being Pepcid or another long-lasting antacid. He's been on the drug for about 5 days and the coughing has mostly stopped. We're happy for our little guy. Also, when the condition was first diagnosed we immediately stopped using his collar and switch

This blog post dovetails with my previous entry as I continue to ponder life—my life, in search of answers that likely won't be revealed to me until my time here is done, if then. I've been in a very contemplative place for at least the past two years while I watch helplessly as the years of my life pass by, each one faster than the one that preceded it. Contemplation is one of my superpowers, if only for my benefit. Along with my preoccupation with contemplating my life and all of its twists and turns and lessons, my thoughts are beginning to dwell more and more on life beyond this one and what that might look like. It was so much easier when I took shelter in my Christian faith, not really bothering to seriously consider any other alternative than one where I leave my physical body and pass through a tunnel of white light into the arms of Jesus, to dwell with other believers as we sing songs of praise to God. It was a very simple way of looking at life and death; so much so

This blog update is a follow-up to a post I made on Facebook last night. The first paragraph below was what I posted. What I'm about to write is personal but I share it with hopes that it will help others see another side that they may not be appreciative of with respect to those of us who have chosen to leave organized religion or whatever belief system they may have walked away from. I've always been a very spiritual person, seeking after God and in conversation throughout the day with this entity, whatever it may be. If you ever see me out walking and it looks like I'm talking to myself; I'm likely in conversation with God. Some of what I say here in this post may strike some as offensive. That's not my intention but I don't know how to sugarcoat this to make it more acceptable to you. Thank you for hearing me out. A little more than 15 years ago when Rachel turned 16, Tammy, Rachel, and I got Christian fish ankle tattoos to signify our walk with Jesus. I lik

Tammy is 11 weeks post-op from her hip replacement surgery and is pretty much back to normal. She was given the green light a few days ago to resume her Zumba workouts. I'm super happy for her because I know how important those workouts are for her. She's happy as well. It's been a few years since she had to stop exercising due to hip pain. We braved some near-blizzard conditions two weeks ago to take a mixology class at Norseman Distillery in Minneapolis. It was a gift Tammy had surprised me with one year ago and it was about to expire. I've put so little time into learning what goes into various drinks so this was all new to me. It was a lot of fun—so much so that we're talking about taking Mixology 2 as a follow-up.  We had the most beautiful snowfall earlier this week. Over two days, about 20" (50cm) of tree-clinging snow blanketed the area and because there was very little wind, most of what was clinging to the trees is still hanging on, making a walk th

Charlie says Happy Holidays!  I still have some gifts to wrap but other than that, my work is done for this holiday season.  We had a gathering of family over on Saturday and enjoyed our time together. Rachel, Drew, Jenny, and PJ came over early to cheer on the Vikings in what was looking like a route after the 1st half with the Vikings down 33-0 at the half. The way they were playing, I gave them a 0% chance of coming from behind to win it. But we kept watching, and steadily they kept closing the gap to win it in overtime! Neither Tammy nor I are football fans but we both found ourselves getting caught up in the moment when the Vikings did the near impossible. It was the largest come-from-behind win ever in professional football. Fun stuff! Later, we danced! Before I forget: I'm no longer on Twitter. I canceled my account yesterday. I've seen enough.  I had this text conversation with a friend a few nights ago:  Steve: I’ll trade you a Trump ‘wrestler’ for a Trump ‘golfer’. 

We were living in a snow globe today! Snow began falling in the wee hours of the morning and continued throughout the afternoon. We received about 7" (18 cm) by the time it quit. I was enjoying our mostly snowless winter but there are silver linings in this kind of weather for me as well; namely fat-biking. I was able to get out last night for a walk—my usual loop around Crystal Lake—ahead of the snow. It may be a while before I can do this walk again. It was such a peaceful couple of hours spent in upper 30º temps.  Twitter continues circling the drain under Elon Musk's leadership—I use the word "leadership" loosely. I'm a little bummed because I enjoyed the site. It was the source for a plethora of information of all shapes and sizes as well as an abundant supply of cute and heartwarming animal videos. Musk has opened it up again to the vilest voices that had previously been banned from the platform and also to accounts that spread disinformation, while at the