Life these days

A man holding a sign that has Smoky Bear "Only You Can Prevent Fascism"

A crowd of people with signs and flags standing up for democracy.

A handwritten high school report card from the early 1950s.

photograph of a smiling woman and her husband and a photograph of that man with his son.

A marina full of sailing boats with their hulls reflecting in the water.

Two dogs sleeping in the sun next to a sliding glass door.

A woman holding a small dog in her lap, bent over and stroking his ears.

Woman in sunglasses with gray short hair holding an SLR camera in above her left shoulder and HANDS OFF sign in the backpack behind her right shoulder. She is wearing a navy blue tshirt over long-sleeved white shirt that says: Well-behaved Women Rarely Make History. — Trying to stay sane.

The Bargain

Nina let me know this morning as we were snuggling in bed. These past few weeks have seen a steep decline, and today she made it clear. “Okay,” I whispered. “I gotchu.” This is the bargain we make for the pup-human bond, and I promised her I would uphold my end of it. So this afternoon, through the snow and ice, we took one last R-I-D-E. I love you so much, my little black doggie. Thank you for 14 1/2 years of unconditional love.

Daily Routine

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Timing is everything, hence the pill sorter and the alarms on my phone and watch.

January 7, 2020

When are you going to feed me? I’ve been very patient!

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Fujifilm X100F SOC Acros-Standard

January 5, 2020 – A chance encounter

What are the odds? I was driving the pups to Baring Vet today to get their nails trimmed, and just as I was approaching Howard on Fargo, I saw a young woman walking a dog that looked just like Bonnie, but with short hair. I rolled down my window:

Me: Oh my god, your dog looks just like mine! How old?
Her: A year!
Me: Did you adopt from PetCo?
Her: Yes!
Me: Oh my goodness, they are litter mates!!!

I pulled over and she came to my window. Her little girl was yapping. Bonnie was yapping.

Her: She’s a screamer!
Me: So’s Bonnie!

No… I didn’t get a photo, but going back to March I am certain the pup on the left is the one we saw as she is the only shorthaired puppy in the litter. (Bonnie is the one standing on the right)

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And a photo from Sunday laziness . . .

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New Baby in the House

Last weekend we brought this little baby home. Adopted through our local humane society, Bonnie is a poodle mix and just as sweet as can be.

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I apologize for my absence. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks.

ISO 3200 / f/4 / 1/125s
23.0 mm (35.4 mm in 35mm)
JPEG – SOOC
Film simulation: Provia STD

Fujifilm X100F 365/Day 41 – Maya

If she makes it, our matriarch will be seventeen years old in May. I’ll lay odds she will. She continues to defy the Fates.

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ISO 6400 / f/2 / 1/1000s
23.0 mm (35.4 mm in 35mm)
JPEG – SOOC
Film simulation: ACROS STD

Fujifilm X100F/Day 39 – Heartbreak

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Not something we thought would happen when we woke up yesterday, but Buddy took a turn and the reality of the discussion we’d been having for months was staring us in the face. It was time. Our hearts are broken.

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Buddy on September 22, 2018 (Canon 5D Mark III)