I wrote this in November 2021. Some things have changed. Some things have just gotten more. Regardless, here it is. Back when my grandfather was “losing it”, there were no memory care facilities, at least not in our small, rural town. There were nursing homes and boy, were they sad places. I think there was … Continue reading Losing It →

On a Thursday in early May 2021, I set out for Oskaloosa, the town my mom has called home her whole life and for the last 60 ish years, lived within a one block radius. She lived at 401 N D for a few years as a child, she and dad bought their first house … Continue reading Moving Mom →

It's been a minute. So much has happened since I last wrote regularly that the thought of catching you up invokes a mild sense of panic in my solar plexus. That sense, mild-to-moderate-to-severe, has become an old, familiar companion. Today I woke at 4 am, my mind working in overdrive trying to solve current issues, … Continue reading Hello Again →

Foxy has outlived and out-performed all expectations by all accounts. Saying goodbye to her and articulating everything she has come to mean to me is so hard to sort. Processing the grief is such a thorny, thick, quicksand-in-a-tidal-wave kind of deal. I’m doing my best to honor it and give it the space it commands. … Continue reading Foxy – A Love Letter →

I'm so sorry. I'm sorry your life was so hard.  You did not deserve the hand you were dealt but you played it with amazingly little complaint.  Your few wishes were always for the most basic of things such as being at home and some freedom to cruise gravel roads.  I'm sure you wanted to … Continue reading I’m Sorry, Mike →

Get Scout outside by carrying her down and out the steps to the back patio with Foxy following. Start the coffee. Fix their breakfasts and pills while intermittently glancing outside to see what Scout's doing and if she needs help. This was a typical start to my recent mornings. Scout's back half was getting weaker … Continue reading The Dog Hospice Has Closed →

If I'm going to do it, then let's DO IT.   What do I GET to do today?  Let's get today's party started. When did these thoughts occur to me?  As I was lying in bed, being awoke by a dog next to me, yakking.  She had jumped into bed during the evidently terrifying rainstorm, … Continue reading Today’s Theme →

When Dad died in August, the funeral home folks explained that they fly a flag over the bandstand on the square each month to honor a recently deceased veteran.  They accompany it with a short article in the Oskaloosa Herald telling a bit about the soldier and his time in the military.  When asked if … Continue reading Flying A Flag And Baptism By Fire →

For two and a half years, I've undergone chemotherapy.  And EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I get outraged at the "offerings" in the chemo room.  They have crackers and sugary snacks along with soda and drinks masquerading as "healthy" but are very much NOT such as Ensure and Boost which are primarily comprised of soy and some … Continue reading Treatment And A Long Overdue Rant →