Category Archives: This and That

As I sat down to write my Thanksgiving message to you all, I thought I’d see what I wrote last year. Here’s how I led off: “I doubt I’d get any disagreement for saying 2020 won’t go down in history as anyone’s favorite year.” After that masterpiece of understatement, I went on to express gratitude […]

In just a few weeks, our world has turned upside down. As those who follow me on social media already know, we lost Teresa’s beloved older brother, Rockey, to COVID, and I nursed her 95-year-old mother, Valdie, through the same disease. Rockey was developmentally delayed and while he was 72 years old, he had the […]

Every year, our family takes a two-week vacation at a nearby lake. I usually fly home late the night before, worn out from my nonstop travel schedule (some years I’ve spent more than 300 days on the road). Not this year. The global pandemic has kept me home since March, with our activities severely curtailed […]

Some people think we’ll see a lot of “quarantine babies,” conceived during the COVID pandemic when most people were stuck at home. True or not, it’s a good idea for all prospective parents or grandparents to get their pets ready for the new arrival. Here are my five top tips for success. 1. You really […]

Since moving to Almost Heaven Ranch, our daughter Mikkel’s very social Quarter Horse, Chili, was very lonesome. Our older horse, Pegasus, had died, and Teresa’s horse, Angel, is temporarily at the local barn where Teresa rides and trains.  Chili constantly sought human contact, following us everywhere, and was restless and lethargic. Teresa has been quietly […]