Say What?

I was just two weeks shy of my 17th birthday when Richard Nixon resigned from the office of the Presidency in August 1974. I can still see images in my head of the Senate hearings that led to his downfall playing out on our TV but honestly, I didn't follow it all that closely. I was too busy learning how to shotgun beers and trying not to sabotage my life beyond repair than I was concerned about current events. I would develop an interest years/decades later. There's an excellent podcast called Slow Burn by Leon Neyfakh that details much of what led up to Nixon's demise and the shifting support for him along the way. It's fascinating listening. Had Alexander Butterfield (during the Senate Watergate hearings) never mentioned the tape recording system that Nixon had installed in the Oval Office, it's likely Nixon never would've had to resign in disgrace. And had there been a Fox News with the likes of Fox and Friends or Sean Hannity to bolster support for Nixon...

This is a blog post I've not looked forward to writing. Toby is gone, and with him, a huge piece of my heart is gone as well. The feeling of emptiness that follows a loss like this is profound for me. The color drains from my world and a mild depression takes hold. There's nowhere I can go in our home without some small reminder that he's no longer with us and with each small reminder I feel my heart sink a little more. I was out on a walk with Charlie the day after Toby's passing and imagining that he was with us and recalling all of his special places he liked to pause and sniff. I talked to him as though he could hear me and I told him how much I loved and missed him. My sunglasses hid my tears from passers-by. I wish we'd had one more walk together where I let him sniff as long as he wanted and where I didn't try and hurry him along in the slightest. In the end, I didn't want to let him go, thinking that we could keep him comfortable and that the incre...

I was on a walk (yesterday) Easter morning when Tammy called me. She had just arrived at Trinity Care in Farmington where her mother is a resident. She was calling to tell me that she'd missed a call from the staff there and that her mother's condition had deteriorated considerably overnight. I hurried home then drove to be with her. Alzheimer's it's said is "the long goodbye", and it is. It's been several months since Elaine has shown any recognition of me. Tammy has spent so much time with her that I think there was always an understanding between them that there was a connection. When I arrived at her bedside, it was clear that she was close to the end. Her respiration was near 40 breaths per minute, twice what is normal, and there was noticeable congestion in her lungs. She never opened her eyes while I was there. We prayed she wouldn't linger in this condition for long. Tammy spent the night with her, reluctant to leave her side. The staff whe...

I've been watching a Netflix series called The Kindness Diaries . It's a documentary about Leon, a middle-aged man who did well as a broker before turning his back on his life of luxury to travel the world while depending on the kindness of strangers for food, fuel, and a place to stay at night. He has a crew of 3 who follow along (mostly out of sight) to record his encounters along the way. But Leon isn't only taking from others; he's also giving back in some large ways. I've been on the verge of tears several times while watching it. It's excellent! We had a taste of some awesome spring weather earlier in the week. I was able to get out in the yard on Tuesday and take care of 4 hours of yard work, mostly bagging up piles of leaves that are always late to fall from our oak trees. But the mild weather was just a tease. Wednesday arrived and with it, a major storm that dumped about 8" (20 cm) of brown-tinged heavy snow on what had previously been our snowl...

I've been distracted with some outdoor stuff lately so my stained glass hobby has climbed into the backseat—for how long I don't know. I was hoping to craft at least a few more sun-catchers before I close up shop until next winter but the lure of being outdoors is quite strong now. Yes, I've been getting out for some rides and some walks. It's been nice to feel the sun on my face again. I had my first ride on my gravel bike on Saturday. I did a 54 mile (87 km) loop out beyond Jordan . The ride was mostly just to get a feel for my bike and to dial in my position on it. I was able to find some gravel along the way so that was a bonus. It's a fun bike and will easily rival my fat-bike in that department. Why a gravel bike? Well, it opens up more choices for riding. It's difficult to ride my road bike on gravel so now I can venture down roads I might otherwise avoid for fear of the pavement turning to gravel. I could use my fat-bike for gravel but it's not g...

I'm done with my burst of prednisone and the pain in my leg that I was taking it for. Honestly, I think I could've done without the drug. I'm quite sure the pain would've gone away on its own. I was only on it for one week but it was enough to shut down my adrenal gland, where cortisol is produced. I finished an indoor training ride on Tuesday and commented in my notes about the ride that my heart rate was much higher than it usually is for the level of watts I was putting out. Happily, Thursday night's ride assured me that my adrenal gland was getting back up to speed as I compared my heart rate and watts. They were much more in the range of where I'm used to seeing them. I figure it took 5 days for my adrenal gland to begin producing cortisol again. I spent some time yesterday  transferring the seat and handlebar settings on my road bike over to my gravel bike. They're not exact (nor should they be) but I think I've got the settings pretty close to ...

My workouts have been put on hold while my back recovers from some sort of injury, most likely related to snow removal. I'm not exactly sure what I did but I've never had a back injury quite like this one. It began one week ago and while it felt a little sore at first it became much worse over the next few days. I call it a back injury but it mostly presents itself as a searing pain in my left buttock and down toward my left calf. I went into an orthopedic urgent-care Sunday morning where they took x-rays. The images showed nothing out of the ordinary, suggesting it was some sort of soft tissue injury. I'm on a burst of prednisone and a muscle relaxer. I'm feeling better today but I'm not quite ready to resume my workouts—maybe tomorrow. I need to strengthen my core—it's that simple. My Subaru Forrester turned 5 years old this week just as its odometer racked up 50,000 miles (80,000 km). It's been a good car and I'm happy with it but if I had to choos...