one bag a day. and some.

four bags today, in fact. of documents going back to the beginning of our marriage, no less.

hoarding, it appears, is a habit that creeps upon the best of us, and very quietly wraps its steely tendrils around us hapless sentimental fools. why else would we still faithfully file the purchase papers for appliances bought five homes ago?

Lord of the stress

for i know the thoughts that i think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 

- jer 29:11

after the mountain-top, the world. we have had incredible privilege.

muddling through inelegantly

a national framework to guide rationing decisions ... may "result in insensitivity to the complexity of clinical care, to the rapidly changing character of medical knowledge, to the uncertainties of the care process, and to the wide range of situations, needs and preferences of patients".

d.j.hunter, bmj 1995 sep 23; 311(7008): 811

with our strong pragmatic bent and deep fondness for algorithms and model answers we would do well to heed this in the little red dot. in healthcare in education in anything perhaps where our first response to a question is what's the guideline on this?

rationing, hunter says, will always be messy. hey, life too. 

fairies and ghosts

what do you say to a nine year old kid who says she doesn't believe in Santa anymore, someone asks. i would say you're right, honey. my friend says it's important to let them believe so they have hope. i say Santa kinda scrapes the bottom of the hope chest.

an old man said, may the God of hope fill you with all joy  and peace in believing... Santa and fairies don't quite cut it.

empty chairs at empty tables

he comes to us on a tuesday, a cheerfully rolling creamy hairball

who happily implants himself into our hearts and our lives

he completely skips chewing, hurries through toilet training

and then stays adolescent for the rest of ten lovely years

sit, stay by the pool in regent park

heavy breathing in the trunk of the car

heavy drooling over the back seats

long, long family walks to the dog park

bunking in with Clifford

earning frequent flyer miles

swimming, and not liking it

finding cover in a thunderstorm

running into glass doors

presiding over every homecoming

the outlet malls at San Antonio

the many different homes

indiscriminate love

unquestioning forgiveness

playmate comforter companion 

he was perfect

in pace

6.19.2002 - 7.21.2012

with not a mean bone in his body.

we were so privileged.

spent

how quickly a dog goes downhill.

he's slipping away.

idiot canine 2

this is what i want to say to Dog, if he only understood:

do you know what we do to human kids who refuse to eat? we let them go hungry, that's what.

clearly the entire family is being terrorized and held emotionally hostage by an entitled picky brat who would be getting his just desserts if he were human.

idiot canine

here's our latest, wildly successful attempt at enticing Dog to condescend to partake of his repast.

we currently have three different flavors of kibbles in the garage which he actually turns his nose up at. what do i say to the vet? i ask HOM. he's refusing his food. that is to say, he gobbles down his treats and wages a war of attrition with me over his meals. is he ill? is he dying?

inflation

90, 98, 105

first class, international

three incarnations in six years.

fond as i am of vintage as a concept

it becomes more painful to support with time.