We have a few new residents around our house.  And when I say around, I mean outside. First off, it appears that the mourning dove has hatched her eggs.  We never saw the eggs themselves, but now that there are chicks, the mama is off the nest getting food somewhat often.  I got a couple … Read more

We discovered recently that we have a tenant staying in our garage.  Actually, it’s not technically in the garage, but in the rain gutter on the outside of the garage.  Specifically, a mourning dove has built her nest there, in the end opposite the downspout.  From the driveway, you can just make out the head … Read more

There is good news and there is bad news regarding cats in our household.  I’ll give the bad news first, which is also the more recent news. Arzachel, who was the very old cat of the household, died 2 weeks ago on December 23.  He was about 19 years old, which is quite a bit … Read more

Alternate title for this post: “Another nail in the coffin of MS.” Yesterday I did the big ride, and it was quite a ride. First off, I want to thank again everyone who donated. In supporting my effort, you’ve helped fund more MS research and advocacy to the tune of $711.00. Pretty good considering that … Read more

The assessment given by the vet who diagnosed Shark’s cancer was correct. He said that Shark probably had a few weeks, maybe a month, to live. That pronouncement was made on August 13, and the end came on September 12. I originally got Shark in the summer of 1994. We had stopped by a dancewear … Read more

I went for another training ride today. This one was shorter, but with more significant (i.e. steeper) hill climbing. It was also raining for part of the time I was riding. The rain almost deterred me from riding, but I eventually decided it might be useful to try riding in the rain, because it may … Read more

Some details in this post may be a little gross for the squeamish, just to warn you. Shark was going along seemingly fine on the medications prescribed to him, until a few days ago.  He threw up a little after being in the litter box (and not doing anything there), and this raised red flags … Read more

I’m going to be doing my first ever charity bike ride in about 5 weeks.  Saturday, September 29 I’ll be riding in the Bike and Hike the Berkshires event put on by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I’m looking for sponsors for my ride, so that by doing the ride I’ll raise money for MS … Read more

We have another cat who has been diagnosed with cancer.  Most readers will remember that a very large tumor had been discovered in Nematode in the Fall of 2005, and we had to have her euthanized in February of last year.  Now we face a similar situation with Shark. In the first few months of … Read more

This year I didn’t have to drive for 2 hours – we were able to see They Might Be Giants right here in Northampton. They performed 2 shows last month at the Iron Horse Music Hall. Specifically, there were 7pm and 10pm shows on Saturday, May 5. We had decided to get tickets to the … Read more