Monthly Archives: January 2016

Dogs, Friends

A Significant Day

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Yule                                                                            Stock Show Moon

Vega500What a day. Todd came to finish up the remnants of the kitchen remodel. It looks wonderful and Kate brought it in for a reasonable price. It’s been difficult, stressful for her, but she’s done a wonderful job. We’re going to the Fort on Sunday night to celebrate her work. Meanwhile she’s happily moving things back in, organizing the kitchen anew, sort of the point of the whole project. Lots more storage space. I’ll post some pictures later on.

But that wasn’t the significant part of the day, at least not the most significant. Ironically, as I wrote Our Friends, Vega was at the vet’s having her left front paw x-rayed again. It’s been swollen for several weeks now. The first x-ray showed infection rather than cancer. So, antibiotics and pain meds. But the swelling has gotten worse.

Vega bayingcroppedWe got a call from Palmini, the vet. Could we come in at 1 o’clock to review what he’d found? Uh-oh. After several Irish Wolfhounds dying of cancer, we imagined the worst. Tears and reminiscing. Vega is the sweetest, happiest dog we’ve had. Like all of our dogs her place in our lives is special, irreplaceable. That means anticipating a hole where her funny, talkative, bouncy presence is hurt.

Not as bad as all that. It might be cancer, could still be an infection, but we’ve agreed to a biopsy on Monday. The good news is that even if it is cancer, an amputation would cure it. The possible cancers are not aggressive. Amputation sounds drastic, and it is, of course, but for a dog not as big a deal as you might imagine. They quickly adapt to the tripod life and go on. One thing we can all learn from dogs is how to deal with physical adversity. Don’t quit.

We don’t have to lose Vega right now. And, I’m glad.

Health, Jefferson County, Our Land and Home, Shadow Mountain

Pounding, Screeching, Whining

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Yule                                                                            Stock Show Moon

IMAG0769
out with this old

Can you feel the tension creeping out from here? The (we hope) final day of our kitchen remodel is underway. The new countertop is in, the new broom closet (unprimed, however) is in, the microwave and sinks and faucets are in. Various items, punchlist items, are being taken care of. A couple of other custom cabinets are waiting to be installed. Saws whining, drills screeching, hammers pounding.

Todd’s multicultural crew, Michele (French) and Luis (Latino), is here and have been since 8:30 am. Todd’s a good guy, but he’s a big picture schmoozer in a small picture detail oriented business. We hired him and we’re riding the process out to the end, but we could have done better. The price however was right.

Kate left in the middle of the day for more hand/thumb physical therapy. She came back with black kinesiology tape snaking out from the top of her thumb midway up her forearm. Kinesiology tape? Yep. This gave her time away, a spa hour for her opposable digit.

Nextdoor Shadow Mountain, an electronic water cooler, had a woman on yesterday who wrote:  “Any recommendations for an electrician?? The company we were using did not show up for a scheduled appointment, and no one has responded to texts, phone messages, or emails.” This is the story here at altitude. Over and over. In all trades and services.

Last week I wrote the heads of three local business schools and suggested there might be a business opportunity up here. No takers yet, but it’s early days.

That’s how we ended up with Todd. He actually showed up.

Faith and Spirituality, Family, Latin, Reimagine. Reconstruct. Reenchant., Third Phase

A Wednesday Ahead

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Yule                                                                              Stock Show Moon

Kate’s got another all sew day, this one with the needle workers. They’ll be meeting, ironically, in the much higher and more expensive home of two hospital administrators. She has a brace on her recently surgically altered left thumb which may make this day a bit trying for her. Although, she pushes through that kind of obstacle. Just that kinda gal.

My day will be Latin, review this time for Friday session with Greg, my Latin tutor.

Work out, now during the day to get push all the water I drink further away from bedtime. Trying to get my sleep more routine. Some nights I sleep well, really well. Other nights, like last night, it’s a wrassling match.

I plan to write a short essay, a prolegomena to Reimagining Faith. What is it? Why do I want to do it? What might it be? What are the elements available today that make it possible?

 

 

Colorado, Dogs, Family, Holidays, Memories, The West, Third Phase

Super Dogs

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Yule                                                                             Stock Show Moon

Took Gabe and Ruth to Superdogs at the National Western Stock Show yesterday. We started attending back in 2010. That year I took Ruth on the shuttle. We got about two miles from home. She turned to me with a slightly scared, sad look, she was 3 I think, and said, “I miss my mommy.” I called Jen, she talked to Ruth and we went on.

Since then we’ve seen rodeos, dancing horses, many superdogs, lots of cattle, some pigs, sheep, alpaca. The exhibit halls are full of large metal pincers to hold cattle and other large animals while branding and medicating, fencing, horse stalls, lots of pick-ups and other motorized things like Bobcats, Kubota tractors and John Deere machinery. Trailers of all kinds and lengths. Rope. The big Cinch booth with all things denim and boot.

That first year Jen and Ruth were watching a sheep competition and a reporter from the Denver Post caught them in a picture that went on the front page. It’s become a family tradition although this year it was just Grandma, Grandpop and the kids.

We ate lunch at the Cattleman’s Grill, a large open air restaurant with oilcloth covered 8 foot tables put together in long rows. Like a big family reunion. Lots of cowboy hats and boots, kids.

After that we wandered the exhibit halls. Gabe and Grandma went to the petting zoo where they got their hands on sheep, goats, pigs while Ruth and I examined the Western Art Show and Sale. Ruth and I liked the show. It had some wonderful sculpture, especially a small stone owl, landscapes done in non-traditional (that is not sentimental) manners, and some excellent paintings of animals, in particular one Brahman bull. He was a distinct individual in this full head portrait.

The Superdogs show either has gotten better since we first saw it or I’ve lowered my standards. This year was fun. These canine athletes, most of them rescue dogs, catch frisbees, do the high jump, run through plastic tunnels at speed, race along raised platforms and have a helluva good time. They are high energy, eager animals.

We’ll be back next year. Who knows what wonders we’ll see?

Colorado, Sport, Third Phase

Orange and Blue

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Yule                                                                                 Stock Show Moon

Orange and blue. Everywhere. The receptionists at Urology Associates on Friday. A couple at Tai Chi yesterday with Bronco’s sweatshirts and sweatpants. All Broncos all the time in the Denver Post and on Denver TV stations. This metro area is Bronconutso. For me it went, Vikings beat Packers. Yeah. Vikings lose to Seahawks. Packers win. Sigh. Packers lose. half hearted yeah. Now – nada. No colors for me. No excitement before the big game. Just NFLost.

A sunny but cool Sunday. Clear air. Sun dogs. Snow that could use some freshening. Very quiet, almost holiday quiet.

Kate and I drove over to Nono’s, one of several very good New Orleans style restaurants. I had the Ragin’ Cajun, grits and eggs. The place had pushed together tables, one with adults and the other with their kids. Noisy. Also why we never want to live in an age-segregated community. No vitality. Sun Zombie City.

 

 

Aging, Faith and Spirituality, Reimagine. Reconstruct. Reenchant., Third Phase

Eudaimoniac

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Yule                                                                          Stock Show Moon

Slowly. Slowly. Latin back with regular work. Learning the west by reading articles about the occupation at Malheur and its deep background. Just started Wallace Stegner’s “Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West.” Considering a book length writing project(s). Working more on Reimagining Faith, perhaps a new novel.

The fire mitigation awaits as a rhythm changer. Kate located a custom boot fitter. It happened to be next to Wooden Spools, a quilt shop. I plan to hike much more this year and when I’ve got a good sense of my boots, I may use these folks to put some orthotics in them. The workouts, both hi-intensity aerobics and regular physical therapy exercises, happen 4-5 times a week, enough for me. Now the Tai Chi.

This sort of mix, one with self-care and personal agency, is the platform for my life. Family and friends put it into the social context. Both are critical to my eudaimonia, my flourishing. Only when I’m flourishing am I able to be my best self for others, for political work.

 

 

Aging, Family, Health, Reimagine. Reconstruct. Reenchant.

Tai Chi

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Yule                                                                             Stock Show Moon

Over to Conifer Physical Therapy this morning with Kate for an 8 week course, Tai Chi for folks with arthritis. Our mutual infirmity bringing us closer together. How special is aging? Kate did Tai Chi when she was in medical school. I learned about half of a full form maybe 3 years ago, so we’ve both got some muscle memory. It never hurts to have more than way of approaching something. My physical therapy exercises are keeping my back and my shoulder/elbow/neck calmed down. Tai Chi will reinforce that work.

 

We’ll meet some other folks, too. Should be fun.

Health

Ordinary Time

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Yule                                                                              Stock Show Moon

Amazing how ordinary a post-cancer operation visit can be. Of course, as long as the numbers stay good it will stay ordinary. That is the great gift of successful treatment, the opportunity to return to whatever life you had instead of checking out your will.

Anna Willis, a P.A., talks with ease about matters sexual, urinary. She’s a 30 something, maybe early 40’s, woman who dresses upscale and has a brusque, but not unpleasant professional manner. “Getting up 4 times at night? Oh, that’s too much. We’ll see if we can get that down.”

Mostly we focused on the .015 PSA. As good a number as possible, a royal flush of a lab result. The plan is to continue ultrasensitive tests every 3 months for 2 years, then every 6 months until year 5. “It’s about the same as breast cancer. the more time away from surgery with clean results, the better the odds. If you get past 5 years, the odds of recurrence are very, very low.”

Cancer season closed out as a time of high alertness in September with the first .015. The return to ordinary time will, I imagine, continue and become more solid if the tests keep sending me good news. Like having stood in the path of a fast moving train and having a good samaritan pull you out of the way just in time.

The West, US History
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Yule                                                                          Stock Show Moon

hcn-masthead

The High Country News  is excellent progressive journalism about the West. I discovered it not long after moving to Colorado and read it cover to cover every time it comes. At HCN.org there is a link to a compilation of articles HCN has published over the years about the sagebrush rebellion.

I’m currently reading through those articles plus articles I’ve collected at various news outlets. The sagebrush rebellion, I’ve decided, is going to be my entré into the dynamics of the New West. As I read and learn, I plan to report here on my new, adopted region.

The West is simpler than the Midwest. Its regional status is newer, really only coming into its own in the mid to late 19th century as native peoples were pushed out and East coast railroad and mining magnates moved in. It is, too, a region built on exploitation, first of the native population, then of resources.

This point is interesting in regards to the sagebrush rebellion which has fixated on the government as the main tyrant. Any cursory reading of Western history would point to railroads and mining companies, then other East and Left coast financiers, corporate boards and offices located outside the region, as the true tyrants here. This is still the case in many ways .

The overlay from that relatively recent past makes Westerners sensitive to control of any kind that bypasses locals. The birdwatching militia occupying Malheur are a symptom of that acuity, acting on the feeling of outside interference, with no sense of nuance about either the history of government lands or the real villains who have their hands on the throat of the West.

More to come.

 

 

 

Memories, Minnesota, Weather +Climate, Woolly Mammoths

A Snowman Will Want to Be Inside

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Yule                                                                                      Stock Show Moon

You wanna find Stock Show weather? Go to Minnesota this weekend. Friend Tom Crane sent me a link to the Updraft blog of MPRNews. “Thought you might want to know what you’re missing,” he said.

Weather January 16, 17 2016

Paul Huttner, the meteorologist for the Updraft blog, repeated a Minnesota weather nostrum often used at times like these: “The only thing between Minnesota and the North Pole is a barbed wire fence.”

In Minnesota, not often, but often enough, you realized the weather could kill you. No winds necessary. This will be one of this times.

Colorado, at least for us so far, doesn’t produce weather like this. If you go higher in altitude, then yes, you can find extreme winter cold, but even at 8,800 feet nothing like this. Can’t say I miss that bitter cold. though looking out the window from a warm house, over a snowy frozen landscape has its charms.