This morning we were at the park. It was a beautiful day, about 50 degrees. The birds were chirping. My 3-year-old was picking dandelions, and Harry was fetching his kong like we do every morning. Suddenly he started gasping and turned blue. We rushed him to the vet. Laryngeal paralysis. He’s gone. I can’t believe [...]

From my blog at the Spencer Daily Reporter… Today I was walking out of a Spencer business with my three-year-old holding my hand. As we left the store, a large crew cab truck looked like they were going to pull up in front. I told my daughter that we had to stop and see what [...]

From my blog at the Spencer Daily Reporter It happened again after this last bit of snow. I was headed south on 71 towards Spencer. I was behind several other cars, who were also going a bit slower than usual due to the limited visibility and slippery conditions. And then here they come, people in [...]

This weekend we will be taking a roadtrip with Syd to a family reunion. It’s roughly 5 hours by car each way. We do not have a DVD player for the car and don’t plan on getting one. I don’t want to pack all of her toys, but I want her to be occupied. When [...]

From my blog on the Daily Reporter Website. Pets are a big part of our family’s life. We current share our home with three: Grant the American Staffordshire Terrier, Harry the Belgian Malinois, and Kit the big tabby cat. All three are neutered, and Kit is an indoor only cat. A few weeks ago I [...]

Slow news day in Siouxland, I guess. We were the lead story! Hopefully this link will work: Grant on the news Grant was such a good boy. I look and sound like a doofus. Zane stole the show. His outtakes were hysterical! Some of his goofier stuff didn’t make it on, like comments about Grant’s [...]

I really hate winter. I mean, I REALLY hate winter. While spiders still hold the Number One spot on my personal Hate Chart, I think that winter has climbed past clowns, cilantro, and Ann Coulter into Number Two. I’ve had trouble with my car this winter that I’ve not had in the past two years [...]

Anybody know anything about tires? I drive a 2005 Aveo Hatchback LS. When I bought it, I lived in Oregon and had no intention of moving to an arctic climate. And well, here I am in subzero temps with several feet of snow. I don’t know anything about cars, I will tell you that upfront. [...]

I was recently having a conversation with a man that I’ve spoken to on many occasions. He always struck me as a pleasant, neighborly man. Somehow the conversation turned to illegal immigration. What he was saying stunned me. He was of the opinion that the way to deal with it was to open hunting season [...]

There has to be some secret to brushing a toddler’s teeth. I always feel like I am not doing it enough, and that I’m not doing it well. Syd doesn’t hold still and let me get all of her teeth, or get the ones that I can get to properly. If I let her brush [...]