The 43

And then there were two dogs ... Two weeks ago, sort of suddenly, we added a second dog to our family. Charlotte is a 7-month old pointer/blue heeler mix (we think) we adopted from the Humane Society. As with any puppy, the transition has been, well, noticeable. For starters, she wasn't house trained, so we've needed to get her outside a lot to do her business. She struggles with impulse control, going a little crazy whenever she sees another dog or cat. Given we have a dog and a cat, that has been a challenge. Popcorn hasn't been a big fan of Charlotte so far. The puppy wants to play and sometimes bark when she sees Popcorn go by, and the decibel level has bothered our senior dog.  Charlotte also came home with a parasite, which resulted in some runny poop over the first several days. All that said, we've seen so much progress. She hasn't had an accident in the house in a week, and she's figured out that when she goes outside, she should go outside. Popcorn is ...

May is my favorite month of the year and has been since I was a kid. Those leaves sprout from the trees in the first couple days of May and I'm instantly reassured that I survived the winter and that summer is near. Little League in my youth hit full swing in May. School years ended in May. I met Lori in May. Ben was born in May. This year, the buds on our linden tree kept teasing, but on queue, usually around May 3, they sprout. I'm on my porch writing this, looking at a full tree of leaves, accompanied by the full maple of leaves as well. But May is bittersweet in that if I don't fully appreciate each sunny day, each warm temperature, each spring storm (and last night, we had a doozy, with the weirdest orange sky I've seen here in Utah in 23 years), the month is half over before I make an attempt to fully enjoy it. This May, here I am, on May 15 -- and I'm just getting into the swing of the month. June will be hear before I know it. The kidney stone threw a seriou...

The pain started last Thursday, quite suddenly. I'm always amazed how the little disruptors -- even if they turn into big disruptors -- come out of nowhere. I ran Thursday morning, made breakfast, started my work day, and everything was going well. A few hours later, I was in a doctor's office, writhing in pain and the fun was just beginning. Several years ago, I got an ultrasound after wrenching my back, and the technician noticed that I had a kidney stone. I didn't think anything of it, and nothing ever came of it -- I just figured it passed without incident. I doubt this is the same kidney stone, but its descendant is pummeling me five days later. After being diagnosed Thursday, I ended up in the ER on Friday evening after developing a fever. Of course, the fever broke during our nine-hour ER experience (including five in the waiting room), but the prognosis was solid -- no infection, and no surgery or procedure needed. The last three afternoons have been tolerable, rest...