Tag Archives: Fiction

August 15, 2026

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Hi. I’m back and I’m in much better shape now. Apparently I’m healing OK. That’s because I’m spending most of my time reclining and watching movies. There are hundreds of them that I somehow failed to see when they were new. Watching old movies is fun. I know I actually saw many of them when they first appeared, but that didn’t matter because since I wasn’t sure, I pretended this was my first time.

My ankle is still swollen. Actually, my left foot is swollen. Not so bad that I can’t walk, but it’s gained a few pounds and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. I’m still walking Max which may not be a good idea, but Max told me he wasn’t going on a walk with anyone else but me. So, I waited until the house was empty and took him out on the town. We generally get a couple of miles on these romps.

The Walters clan is camping at Big Eddy this weekend and are dealing with showers that have no hot water. So, Lydia brought her Mom home to get cleaned up so they can attend a wedding that’s on their list. Max was extremely excited about Lydia showing up unannounced. He’s really funny about that because he gets so excited about her arrival, then totally ignores her unless summoned for a neck scratch.

It appears that I got sidetracked right about here because today is the 18th. Therefor, I must have misplaced 3 days somewhere along the line. According to my calendar you didn’t miss anything. During those 3 missing days, I walked about 6 miles with Max. Maybe more. A routine day gets us about 2.5 miles so I just took a guess.

The weather is great during the day and cool at night. Most of my days are spent watching movies that I probably watched previously but forgot. Most of those have been very entertaining. Well, the ones I watched all the way through. Many of them caused me to take a nap off and on. I do that alot.

Lydia has been watching all the “911” series’ and I think she’s seen most of them now. Changing things up, a little, tonight she’s watching S1-E1 of “Law and Order, Special Vicitims Unit” which was made available for public viewing in 1999, the year Lydia was also presented for public viewing. I’d tell you how old she is but you’ll have to do the math.

A little research revealed that there are 26 series and the average season has 20 episodes. That means we will be a slave to our TV for at least 520 hours. During that time they are continuing to film new episodes. Factor in our need to sleep once in a while, and some of us have to work now and then, I predict we will catch up to the current episode sometime in mid 2035. If we want to watch other shows during this time, which we will, it will be necessary to extend viewing time for LAOSVU through 2042 because we enjoy dozens of other shows. I think we can catch up sooner if we spend all our waking hours in our recliners and order in all our food for the rest of our lives.

With all that fluttering around in my head which is a bit cramped with mostly useless information I believe I’ll reconsider my need to do all of that catching up and concentrate on Disney movies.

Here’s a photo to end this before it gets any worse.

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August 4, 2026

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Surprise! It’s only been a few days since my last post so I suspect some of you might be wondering why I’m back so soon. I used to do this every day until my life changed forever when Diane left me. When that happened pretty much all my joy went with her.

Oh, I still have many positive things in my life to keep me engaged, but without her the parameters are different. I’m surrounded by my children most of the time, and I have friends who share events with me. and that’s really awesome, but I miss sharing those events with her.

Sounds like a broken record, right? I’m sure everyone who has to go through this part of life’s journey says the same thing. Unfortunately for you, as I’ve said previously, when those feelings or thoughts get stuck in my head the only way I know how to relieve myself is to type it all out.

Doing that gets my head flying all over the place, ending at places I hadn’t considered. Eventually, I wind up in a happier place thinking about all the fun we had, the places we got to visit, and the family we made . . . .

I got stuck on that last paragraph. Picture me sitting here with my fingers poised over the keyboard, waiting for that next word that seeks relief from my clogged brain, and nothing happens. I’m sure that I’m not the only person that has this problem but it’s disconcerting when it happens. When my fingers are poised over a keyboard, I expect them to be productive. All the sudden they weren’t.

Considering that predicament, I deem it’s time for me to just make stuff up. You know I loved her beyond measure, and I miss her, but I need to move on down the road. So, here I go.

Let’s go back in time to 11/27/2011. Thanksgiving is over, and my head was overflowing with unused words.

Thanksgiving is over and it’s time to get back to work. For me, it’s a trip to the VA for some poking and prodding. I love that part. It’s a simple way for me to get people to touch me for free. Well, there’s a little co-pay, but it’s not much. Worth every penny.

I’ve been scouting around for a new platform to use for my blog and thought I’d give this one a try. Susan recommended it, so it must be a good one. I think I made a couple of entries on Blogger, but can’t remember. There’s an image of a turkey carcass floating around in my head that I associated with that site, but that doesn’t mean anything. The carcass may have an entirely different meaning for me tomorrow. Or in a couple of hours.

I’d tell you what I did last Friday, but I can’t remember.

Yesterday it was sunny and we had a mini-USS Cleveland reunion at our house. In attendance was Gary, Cindy, Brian, Susan, Diane, Ziva, Panzee, Ozzie, and me. Gary & Brian remember each other from their time aboard Cleveland, but I don’t remember either of them. Probably because they were snipes, working below the main deck, and I was a deck rating working above the main deck. Everyone in the Navy understands the unspoken division between the two. We were never allowed to talk with one another, and we were all fed a different times to ensure there was no contamination from one group to the other. Apparently it works really, really well. It’s nice to learn that this division doesn’t translate to relationships in civilian life.

Gary & Cindy live in Washington. Brian & Susan don’t. Neither do I or Diane. But, all four of us who don’t can see Washington from the towns we live in. What a treat that is.

After everyone left I gave Diane a hearing test and we learned that she really is deaf in her left ear. I’ve known that for a long time but she refuses to get her hearing checked. Instead, she’d rather punish me for not answering her questions when she has her deaf ear turned toward me. It probably doesn’t help that I usually don’t talk very loudly. I do that for a reason, of course. Since her ear is already damaged, for some reason, I don’t want to take the chance of making it worse by making loud noises. So, I talk softly. Sometimes I just move my lips when she’s looking at me but that seems to make her angry. Thankfully, I can still outrun her and after 30-40 feet I forget why I’m running and she forgets why she’s chasing me. The dogs love conversations like that.

We hope everyone had a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving weekend, and that the turkey was all consumed, or sent home with visitors, so you can eat something “new” tomorrow. Send good thoughts to an old family friend, Jeff K, who is in a coma at OHSU. It’s complicated.

Today we went to church, like normal, but that doesn’t seem to help keep me from getting into trouble. We even took Diane’s Mom, Jean, like normal. We were the last people out of the church, ensuring the doors were locked and the garbage removed, and everything. It was a little ominous, weather wise, when we left the house. Apparently all of the weathermen got together on Saturday and decided it was going to rain at 10:30am sharp and, by golly, it did. There were minor breaks in the downpour so we had to time it right, ensuring it was at it’s heaviest, before heading to the car. We made it home safe and dry, then Diane made me and Jean exit the vehicle before she drove it into the garage. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining very hard at the time, so it wasn’t bad.

We heated up a mess of leftovers that included turkey, chili, baked potatoes, dressing, and salad. I had everything but potatoes and salad. I also had cheese and crackers, and a glass of expired milk. After feeding the milk to me, Diane reported that the date on the bottle indicated it should have been consumed by November 18th. Not too bad, but it suddenly tasted awful and gave me a stomach ache.

Jack & Wynette stopped by for a while on their way home from a funeral in Longview. We had a nice visit and it was good to see them, as always. Wynette’s letting her hair grow long. Looks great. Jack reported that he and Wynette have spent a lot of time, lately, looking for bras. It wasn’t immediately clear who they were for so I found it very informative. I’ve been thinking about looking for bras, myself. Diane doesn’t approve, telling me I don’t need one. In self defense, I never said I was going to buy one. I just wanted to look for one.

I learned that Jack’s hands are a C cup. I also learned that mermaids wear sea-shells because b-shells are too small, and d-shells are too big. I never knew that. I’m always learning new stuff from Jack. I always look forward to seeing those two.

Now it’s dark and nearing time for me to go to bed. We need to leave in before 7am in the morning to make sure I’m at the VA by 8am. It’s a long drive but, since I’m not allowed to sit behind the steering wheel, I can sleep all the way over. And all the way home. Which I probably will.

I hope all is well with all of you. I feel better now that I’ve moved beyond that roadblock in my head.

July 22, 2026 – Trip to the Beach

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Today is Wednesday. Yesterday Lydia asked me what I had planned for tomorrow, which is today, so I checked my calendar and found nothing listed so I said, “Nothing. What’s on your mind?”

She said, “well, I need more yarn to finish my current project so I’m going to Cannon Beach for more.”

I said, “why Cannon Beach?”

She said, “because that’s where I got the yarn I’m using and I need the batch numbers to match,” in a tone that meant I should know that.

Not one to miss a chance to go to the beach, I said, “that sounds fun. What time are we going?”

She said she would get up a little earlier than she did today, meaning yesterday, because stayed in her bed until noon. As it turned out, she got up and was ready to go by 0900. That worked just fine for me because that gave me time to take Max for a walk along the river, which I did, this morning.

I woke up about 0730, ate my breakfast to decrease the chances of me falling down, then took him to town about 0830 and had him back by 0930 which ensured we could get to her yarn shop by 1130.

The drive over was fast because Lydia doesn’t drive slow, and uneventful because she’s a good driver. We took Max with us and he was ecstatic because going anywhere in a car is one of his favorite things to do, any time.

Once we got to Cannon Beach a parking space appeared out of nowhere so Lydia grabbed it. We had to walk a ways, but that was OK because we were surrounded by friendly people and lots of dogs. Max was in heaven. He got a sniff of every one of them.

While Lydia was getting her yarn Max and I just walked around visiting people. I was amazed that there were so many people wandering around in town. It was almost like walking around the streets of Honolulu again.

On the way out of Cannon Beach, we stopped by Ecola State Park for a while. She had never been there. So, here we were …

Regarding previous events, I’m sad to announce that in addition to the fair beginning on July 15th, I inadvertently failed to report that Jerrie Anne Diane Cate attained the lofty age of 15. That’s significant. She is, as you may have guessed, the youngest offspring of Jeff and Heather and is named after Diane and me. I’m very honored that she bears my name and I know Diane is also honored. I’m truly sorry I failed to let everyone know in a more timely manner. Perhaps Jerrie will forgive me for this failure.

Now I leave you with this PDA.

July 9, 2026 – Jerrie’s a Hero, Kinda

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This happened a few days ago, but I keep forgetting to mention it.

Max and I were driving home from a walk on the river, going down 1st Street to a mandatory left turn that puts you on Columbia Blvd. It’s a sweeping curve and doesn’t require either direction to stop. It’s just common sense that causes those who have it to slow down. Just as we approached the turn, we encountered a guy on a dirt bike coming around the corner way too fast. When he saw my big black truck aimed directly at him, his front tire began to wobble as he tried to get back into his lane.

As he lost control I managed to stop the truck and waited to see what was going to happen. The bike solved the problem by dumping itself, and the rider on the asphalt as a speed slow enough the it slid a little closer to me, but stopped about 5 feet short. He didn’t hit us but I’m sure he was convinced he was going to die right there.

He jumped up after extracting himself from the tangled mess he’d made, laying in the middle of the street with his legs still wrapped around the bike. After getting the bike upright, he shoved it to the side of the road. He was limping as he moved so I presumed he suffered injuries, but I couldn’t be sure that was his natural way of getting around since it was my first time seeing him walk. Limping might be his normal way of getting around and after his close encounter with death, it seemed feasible, so I just let it be.

While he was busy, he kept saying, “I’m sorry” not knowing I was more concerned about him than he was about me. He assured me that he was going to be OK and I believed him because he wasn’t leaving a trail of blood or body parts, and his clothes were not all ripped up, so I stayed in the truck to keep other drivers from running over him. He had to make another trip to gather up some things that fell off the bike when he crashed. As he was doing that we had a brief conversation about how it would probably be a good idea in the future to take this corner a little bit slower the next time he happens to come this way. He agreed.

Once the road was clear I asked him again if he was good to go and he assured me he was. I think he was more embarrassed than hurt at this point and so I went on down the road.

That would have been an excellent time to have a dash cam so I could share all that ecxcitement with you.

In the end, I’m just happy that he was able to stop his slide before winding up under my truck. I probably should have insisted that I call 911 and have him checked out but by not doing so I probably saved him a bunch of money he couldn’t afford to spend, but would have been covered by all of us who have car insurance and pay extra for uninsured motorists.

I should have taken a photo, right? I take pictures of everything else, but not this knucklehead.

May 28, 2026 – Thinking Ahead

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Thinking ahead. That title was added spontaneously, not one I’ve given much thought. Normally I consider the course of each post only when my fingers touch the keyboard. I do not ponder about what may transpire. I think everyone is aware of this and are probably as surprised about the title as am I.

So, let’s put this thought aside for a moment and get busy discussing the here and now aspect of my life. I’m sure you are all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to see what comes next. It’s okay to yawn.

I gave Max his annual bath a few days ago and he’s really happy about that. He kind of forced the issue by digging a giant hole in the side of the pile of dirt sitting in our back yard.

I’ve been told that the pile of dirt will eventually migrate back to the hole from which it came and things will get back to normal. Sadly, having the pile of dirt in the back yard is becoming a new normal for me. When I look out the kitchen window it’s almost as if the pile really isn’t there because my focus is on the creek that is visible on either side.

The dirt isn’t really a problem and it was created with my permission. The big kids had fun with an excavator to make it and the little kids, and Max, have made it known that the pile of dirt must remain until they are done with it.

The purpose of digging all that dirt up was to rid the area from which it was extracted of all the vegetation that covered it. I know, I’ve told you this many times, but I’m invoking my right as an octogenarian to repeat myself any time I want.

During the dirt extraction process they encountered a plastic drain pipe that (we think) is for the water runoff from the roof of the house. All the downspouts around the house go directly into the ground and we always knew it had to go somewhere. Since the yard never floods, it wasn’t a problem so no one pursued the question about where did the rain go. Now we know.

The extraction process resulted in the removal of about 40 feet of the drain pipe which will have to be replaced before the dirt is pushed back in the hole.

This is Max wondering if he’s going outside any time soon.

He can sit like that for a very long time. Eventually he will escalate the situation by adding a very quiet growl. It’s not an aggressive so I let it go. Then he will start patting me on the knee with his left front foot. When he gets to that point I usually put things away and take him for a walk, or I’ll take him out back and hook him to his 50 feet of nylon rope. He had an inferior rope prior to the nylon which he broke twice but getting a long full speed run at it. When he hit the end he barely slowed down as the old rope broke and he kept flying off into the neighbor’s yard.

He came back, dragging about 30 feet of rope behind him. I was surprised he didn’t get wound up in the bushes.

Maybe he figured out how to not get trapped .

May 8, 2026 – Doug and his computer

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This is not a dig on Doug but the efforts expended were directly related to his laptop.

Doug is the Financial Officer for American Legion Post 42. As far as I know, he’s the only one that’s held that position since the post was started 135 years ago. Considering the span of years, I could be wrong. If that turns out to be true, I believe I’ll at least be close to correct.

He keeps all his files on his laptop and generally shares his information with hard copies for the troops to review. Post meetings are held in the Moose Lodge and they have three large TVs mounted in the room they use. Someone asked Doug if he could display his files on those TV’s. He told this person, “Yes I can.” Then he called me.

We spent an hour or so at the lodge seeing how things work there and we came up with a solution. The first choice, for me, was to use Bluetooth for connectivity, but that didn’t seem to be a choice. Another option was to connect directly to the TV via HDMI. During our discovery, we were able to do that, but making it work would require purchasing a very long HDMI cable. Since the TVs looked fairly new I figured there must be a better way.

So, we got busy pushing buttons to see what happens. That’s my solution for any computer problems and generally it’s productive. It this case it was so it’s all good. I haven’t been to an AL meeting in quite a while but I agreed to show up at the next one to support Doug and his first effort in front of the crowd. I will, I’m sure, be a target for many reasons but I’m not worried. Doug has my back.

The lodge was not officially opened this morning when we did our work but a lady was working in the office. When we were leaving she asked for help getting into the office because she inadvertently locked herself out. The only way in was via the service window in the hall. Doug has trouble walking and the lady in distress wasn’t up to the task so I drug a chair over to the window and inserted myself into the office. Doing this required me to bend myself in half, literally, and slide in feet and head first. It worked. During the process the lady questioned my age saying, “You aren’t really 81, are you?” I said, “No. I’ll be 82 in 12 days.” She was amazed. So was Doug. I bet he was sure he’d have to find a way to , I extract me from the window and the ledge that I was sliding on. But, I fooled all three of us. I was adlibbing everything I did about getting through the window. I amazed myself. Tomorrow will tell the tale about which muscles I tweaked the wrong direction. So far, I feel just fine.

My only fear about the entire process was that bending myself in half might could easily have caused me to expel some extra gas that I seem to have, all the time. The down side of that is that sometimes, expelling gas sometimes results in accompanying debris and the need to purchase new underwear. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

That’s my story for today.

April 24, 2026

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Today for lunch I made a peanut butter and orange marmalade sandwich. Normally I use strawberry jam, or grape jelly but I couldn’t find it but the orange marmalade was right there in front of me. I like orange so I thought it would be OK, but it really wasn’t. It wasn’t a good pairing. So, I’m tossing that stuff out and will stick to the regular stuff from now on. I ate the entire sandwich, in case you’re wondering. I did that thinking, with every bite, it’s going to get better. It didn’t. Actually, it was really bad, it just wasn’t normal. I like normal.

It’s a nice sunny day out there so Max is taking advantage of it, laying in the yard, daring that eagle to show up. Oddly, I haven’t seen him since I reported him last time I saw him. I think he’s waiting for me to forget, then he’ll make a run at Max. If he does, I have no doubt he’ll have his claws full of fury and will let him go. Then Max will strut to the back door, look at me and cock his head a little to the right, which means “Did you see that? I was flying!”

I started cleaning up the computer room, finally. It’s a mess. I started in my corner, stacking papers in separate piles for filing, shredding, or just a ?? pile. much of it goes in the ?? pile. Much of the mess was created when I started digging around in the filing cabinet looking for things I needed to file taxes. During that process I got diverted just about every time I blinked. This resulted in many stacks of paper for many reasons. Finally, I just started stacking them in piles by color. Not the paper color, but the color of what every the business logo was.

After a couple days of this it began evident that doing this was not productive so I switched to piles that were set specifically to Diane, specifically to me, and specifically to Diane and me. That was much easier. Then I worked on each pile to separate them into bills that I needed to pay, bills that were already paid, advertisements begging for monetary donations, and ads.

Now there are stacks of paper all over the floor, a lot like there was when I started this job, so now I’m thinking that if I just shred it all I’m pretty sure if there’s a bill in there someone will let me know. I’m not all the way there, yet, but it’s definitely on the table for consideration.

Then there’s Diane’s computer. She complained about that computer all the time but she wouldn’t let me replace it with something she’d like better. It’s not a bad computer, it’s just slow for many reasons. One reason is because she didn’t like deleting her old email. She kept every one of them. Forever. Because of that I have a hard time thinking about doing that myself and passing the computer on to someone else. One of these days maybe I’ll start drinking wine early in the afternoon so I can work up the courage to clean it up.

Maybe tomorrow.

April 21, 2026 – Bunco Babes

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Yes, those are real people. There are 12 members and a couple of alternates that are called on to fill spots when someone can’t make a scheduled play date. Those happen once a month. If you attended school, and paid attention, you might have performed a little math in your head and realized why there are 12 members. If not, then you’ll just have to travel down this path with me in the dark, wondering about that.

One of the members is blessed with the responsibility of keeping their membership information up to date. To do that it’s imperitive that the annointed one must be closely attached to someone to whom that responsibiity is passed. If that doesn’t happen, chaos steps in ensuring the result is that no one will know who’s turn it is to make Pu Pu Platters.

Yes, Pu Pu’s are a real thing and whether or not you’ve heard that name, you’ve certainly had them once in a while during your time on earth.

During Diane’s time with us she was the Keeper of the Names. Consequently, I was the one to whom she delegated the responsibility for keeping the names current because I have a better computer than she did and I can type stuff. Also, I’d do anything she asked me to do. I’m a handy guy to have around. It’s true, I am.

The Bunco Babes gather en masse at the location of the member designated as the hostess for that month. Generally, this schedule is determined well ahead of time, like in November, for the following year. That’s a rule. Though most of them don’t remember, they voted on it in 2004.

Since Diane was one of the 12, everyone showed up at our house on the designated Monday to roll the dice, drink wine if they wanted, and partake of whatever Pu Pu’s are served. Since Diane left us early, Lydia has assumed her role for this household. At this point, I’m not sure if anyone has designated the delegated responsibility of keeping the schedule. If that vacancy is still open, I suspect that someone will be chosen once at least one of the Babes reads this and goes, “Huh! He’s right. Who does that now?”

In the designated house, the hostess sets up 3 tables at which the 12 will sit to start the game. If you’ve done your math, you’ll have figured out that 4 members sit at each table. This simple formula ensures that no one remains standing.

On the main table there is a bell which is used to alert all players of various events that happen throughout the game. The really important one is if someone has to go to the bathroom, a member at the main table rings the bell, yells “Break!” and all activity is stopped until that member returns to her seat. Then, play resumes with the bell and, “Play!”

The play consists of each member at the table puts the 3 dice into a cup (provided) and dumps them, looking for the current number that ranges, oddly enough, from 1 to 6. The roller does this as quickly as possible, counting how many of the dice show the proper number. If all three dice turn up the proper number, everyone at the table yells, “BUNCO!” There’s a scoring process for each roll that escapes me for now, but I may remember later. Or not.

Multiple buncos can be rolled throughout the game and the one who has the most is a winner. She gets the big prize. There’s also a Boobie prize for the worst game. If there is a tie for any prize, there is a roll

off between the potential winners. For #1, the best roll wins. For last place, at this time, the same rule applies. However, I think it should be just the opposite for last place. The worst roll should be declared the winner. Just a suggestion. Lydia thinks it’s already that way, but she isn’t sure since she’s never had to roll off for the Boobie prize.

That’s about it for this session. I’m tired and need to rest my weary bones.

Good night.

Letters to Diane – 36 – January 7, 2026

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Good evening Dear Wife of mine,

I seem to have missed the 6th. “How,” you may ask, “can that be possible?”

“Well,” I would respond, “that’s just a common event in my daily life,” with crossed fingers hiding behind my back.

That’s not true, of course. I never hide crossed fingers behind my back. Honest.

So, what happened yesterday? Actually, lets talk a little more about what happened Monday and what didn’t happen yesterday.

Monday I drove myself to our favorite dermatologist to see how well my face healed. You’ll be happy to learn that I drove there and back without incident. While there I was told that I healed up right nicely. I could have told Kate that on the phone. All she had to do was call me. She quickly let me know that I’d need to put on the hospital gown laying on the chair I didn’t use, opening to the back. She also told me I could leave my jockey shorts on. So, I did all of that.

When she returned a few minutes later, she started investigating my entire body for other suspect areas she could identify. After once around, zapping random abnormalities she spotted on my nearly naked body. I didn’t count them, but there were more than ten. Then she got real close to a spot on my nose, right nostril, net to my lip. She said she felt the need to have that area biopsied.

Shortly thereafter, she sent the nurse back in with a hypodermic which she stuck directly into my right nostril and injected it’s contents which deadened my nose. I made it clear that the deadening did not take affect quickly enough. It really hurt. A lot. But I endured, knowing the pain would stop eventually. It finally did, and I was once again able to communicate coherently.

After a few minutes, Kate came back with a scalpel which she applied to the suspect area and removed a piece, which she put in a specimen bottle so someone could look at it with a microscope, then cauterized the wound so it would stop bleeding, and put a little band aid before sending me home to await a call to share the results.

Now, what I forgot to share yesterday was the news I just shared.

Today I got a call telling me the biopsy was negative so I could relax. I was already relaxed. I don’t tend to get upset about moments that tend to make most people tense. It’s a choice we all have. The news just made me more relaxed. Now I have the honor of waiting until my next dermatologist visit so she can burn off the newly healed wound she created. I have no idea when I’m supposed to have my net visit. I’m sure they’ll let me know. If, for some reason they don’t contact me to make my next appointment, I’ll get uncharacteristically tense and call them. I’ll play that by ear because I don’t know how long to wait before I allow myself to get tense.

Today Jennie supervised the receipt of their new refrigerator. She’s very happy. I was second choice to be at the house when it was delivered. Since I wasn’t needed, I didn’t do much today except walk Max and eat stuff.

It was a good day.

Love you.

G’nite.

Your Jer

Letters to Diane – 35 – January 5, 2026

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Hi Sweetie,

Just a short note to share an interesting thing Max has been doing lately. You know that I take him out for romp around the yard before going to bed. Previously, he gladly went out but he’s backed off a few times. Then I open the slider and offer him an off-leash friendly run, he simply lays down. I even walk to the edge of the patio and he just lays there, with the door wide open.

Granted, it’s dark, but that didn’t used to bother him.

He starts this by coming to me and sitting where he can see me, no matter where I might be, and he gives me his tiny little growl. Just enough to make a noise. It’s not aggressive at all, just a simple growl to let me know he’s close and wants my attention.

Tonight he did that while I was working on the church newsletter. I stopped and talked with him a bit, letting him know that I had to finish my job then we could go outside. He seemed to understand because he just laid down by my feet and waited.

When we got to the door he made it clear that going outside wasn’t what he wanted to do, so I worked a little bit on the puzzle near the door. He watched me a bit then disappeared. He actually went to bed and waited for me there.

Such a funny little guy.

I cooked tonight. First time in a while I took the reins and got busy. All I did was slice up two boneless chicken breasts using Lydia’s new knife that is about the sharpest knife I’ve ever used It’s amazing. I had a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies I wanted to get rid of and some extra rice that needed to be cooked so that made a meal. It wasn’t the best stir-fry, but it was good and we ate all the chicken. So, we got our protein. I made way more rice than necessary so bagged it for a later meal and left some in the pan for Max. He was a happy dog and cleaned it up pretty good. That’s probably why he didn’t eat his dish of food I put down for him. Could be his earlier growling was his effort to let me know he wasn’t pleased with my food choice for him (it was turkey).

Here’s another fun photo I like. A good one to end the evening with you.

Say Hi to Brad for me.

Love you

Me