My co-worker, Jordan-Rama and his wife have a 7 month old Miniature Schnauzer named "Milli", A.K.A. Mill-pup, Millville, Millicent, Millburn, Milli-Vanilli, Mill-doo, or Millster. She is generally well-behaved, but can be a bit mischievous at times. Last week she somehow got into the sewing shelf and managed to ingest a 2.5" sewing needle! They noticed that Milli was a bit lethargic with some gastrointestinal discomfort, so they took her in to the animal hospital. 
The X-Ray told the whole story of a large needle somewhere in her belly! Given the size (and sharpness) of the needle, it was obvious that it would not pass by itself - at least not without doing some serious damage! So they scheduled her for emergency surgery the next morning. While completing all of the pre-op paperwork, the vet gave Jordan a written detailed "estimate", itemizing each and every swab, needle and band-aid, with the grand total coming to $950-$1,596, depending on the length and complexity of the surgery. After picking his jaw up off the floor (and changing his shorts), Jordan went and got a second opinion, which resulted in a much lower estimate of about $600. 
The surgery went well, and they successfully removed the needle from somewhere between the stomach and small intestine.
Milli just had her stitches removed and is back to her old rambunctious self.
She is on antibiotics to prevent any infection, and seems to be healing just fine. 
The final bill came to $651 - much better than $1,596, but still one expensive needle! Keri said we are lucky that Clover didn't have a similar experience after chewing on our Christmas tree lights!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Pins & Needles
Monday, January 28, 2008
97 Years Young
97 year old Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, passed away at 7 pm on Sunday January 27, 2008 in his Salt Lake City apartment, surrounded by his family.
He served as the Lord's mouthpiece on earth and special witness of Jesus Christ for nearly 13 years. Funeral services will be held Saturday in the LDS Conference center.
Utah Governor Huntsman ordered all flags be flown at half-staff in honor of his passing, until his interment on Saturday.
I will always remember the chance opportunity I had to briefly meet and shake his hand on July 22nd, 1997. President Hinckley was addressing over 50,000 people at This is The Place Monument in Salt Lake City, as the commemorative wagon train had just arrived. I happened to be part of the security detail, posted just off to one side of the stage. Following the ceremony, I could see that he would pass right by me. While maintaining as much vigilance as possible, I could not pass up the opportunity to extend my hand and shake his, feeling of his great, humble spirit.
I also remember seeing and hearing him speak at a general conference session in April of 2006 with our entire family.
Without prompting from Mom or Dad, Josh wore his Sunday best clothes to school today, along with many other high school aged youth, to honor President Hinckley.
A great part of his legacy, among many other things, is a generation of youth who have grown up knowing him and feeling of his love and guidance. He authored a number of books, writings & statements, including "The Family: a Proclamation to the World" - which will live on to help countless people of any, all, and/or no religion make their way through the struggles of earthly existence.
President Hinckley's legacy also includes the building of numerous worldwide temples, which will stand as monuments and reminders of his great service.
He was behind a tireless effort to "bring the temples to the people", including the Rexburg, Idaho temple. Having personally overseen every last detail of this temple, which was dubbed his "baby", the dedication ceremony will be postponed one week to allow for the funeral and memorial services.
President Hinckley truly was "the People's Prophet", as he logged thousands of miles traveling to all areas of the world, reaching out to people and touching lives wherever he went. He made himself available to the public press and media, helping to build a bridge of understanding.
I am saddened by his passing, but I mostly feel happy for the profound effect he had on me and countless other people of many faiths. Although he will be missed, I am certain that his work continues on.
Click on the following link for more coverage: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=104759&nid=288
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Covered Wagon Cuisine
Saturday evening "the gang" got together for an evening of good food, fascinating conversation (isn't that true, Keri?), and hang gliding "war stories" at the Prairie Schooner steak house in Ogden. http://www.prairieschoonerrestaurant.com/home.htm It was definitely the happenin' place on a Saturday night, but thankfully Cody had made reservations. The Schooner is a western-themed restaurant, complete with a wandering guitar-strummin' cowboy crooner,
campfire dioramas with stuffed coyotes, bobcats,
and rattlesnakes, surrounded by covered wagon tables with dimmer-switched lanterns and a star-covered sky/ceiling for ambiance.
The food (steaks, seafood, bread, soup, salad, potatoes) and service were great, and they didn't even throw us out when we got a bit loud and raucous! We spent some time praising our spouses for their impeccable hang-driving skills. We eventually closed down the place getting re-aquainted, reviewing the past year's whacks, wangs, and memorable XC flights, landing in "hostile" territory, planning this years hang gliding road trips, and hammering out the details of the "Cody Cup". - Is it Spring Yet?!!
*Thanks to Bruce's camera (and our server) for the group picture - the other pic's I pirated off of the Internet.)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Hace Mucho Frio!
Okay, I'll admit it. When it dips below zero degrees I'll concede that it IS cold. For newspaper delivery this morning it was (officially, at the airport) -7 degrees. For the ride to work it was -15 degrees! It was a bright, sunny day, but the high temperature was a whopping 5 degrees above zero!
This is a picture of the hubcap on my work van (my personal vehicle is not a Ford!). The slush, sand, & salt mixture on the streets froze into a sunburst-like pattern of radiating icicles from the centrifugal force while I was out on deliveries. It doesn't take much to fascinate me, eh? How much longer 'til Spring?!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
In the Sun He Melted...
...actually, he just kind of, lost his head.
We returned home to discover that Mr. Snowman had fallen in half :-(
So maybe that means that Spring will soon be here :-)
Actually, it's just the warm before the next storm :-(
Clover noticed the "change" in the snowman and was barking madly from inside the front window, suspecting a new intruder to our front yard.
So we let her outside and she quickly went to check for a pulse.
After losing interest, she ran off to play with Roscoe. *(Click on Images for full-sized pic's!)
She tried to sneak up on him...
But despite her stealth, was soon discovered.
So she played it cool, did her best "T-Rex" imitation, and then ran on by to chase down a stray leaf!
Clover has been too much of a baby to go out with me on paper delivery in the mornings lately, with the near-zero temps. Today she got out and enjoyed bounding through the snow, which in some places came right up to her stomach!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
No look Dish!
Ryan returns the favor with a no-look pass to Landon!
In their 3rd game of the season, it was a close one for a while, but after a few bricks, a number of players seemed to find their range, and everything started to fall. The team pulled away in the fourth and won 38 to 29. Landon even made four baskets - mostly from underneath in the paint - eclipsing his previous game high of two points! They are now 2-1 on the season.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
To 'blog or Not to 'blog...
That, Is the question! I have had tons O' fun 'blogging this past year.
I am definitely a creature of habit, and naturally resistant to any change or advances in technology. But I overcame my fears of the unknown and just jumped in and started 'blogging! My only regret is that I didn't start sooner! There is a lot that I don't know or understand yet about HTML, .flv or .avi, embedding, templates, fonts, post-footers, or web-logs in general, but here are some things I have learned, in no particular order:
Benefits of Blogging:
1. It's free: There are a number of 'blog servers, most of which are free.
2. It can be as simple or as complex as you choose.
3. It's convenient: You can do it anytime, anywhere you have a computer or mobile communication device with some kind of internet service or connection. You can start one or more posting when you get a thought or idea and just save it as a draft to finish and post later.
4. It serves as a multimedia journal/album to document the life and personal history of yourself, family, friends, & pets - which might otherwise be lost! I am not very good at keeping a written journal, but 'blogging comes more naturally to me.
5. It is a personal, creative outlet allowing for and fostering self-expression.
6. It can be therapeutic - to help me relieve stress, express feelings or emotions, to help me "figure something out", or just get something off my chest.
7. It serves as a supplemental flight log to my written log. It allows me to share some memorable, often deeply personal flight experiences and pictures!
8. It allows family & friends to stay connected from anywhere in the world, and keep up on my family's daily life at their convenience, without the pressure of having to respond to an e-mail. Also, if I were to send an e-mail to everyone with the pic's and movies I have in my 'blog, it would probably jam up their in-box and cause some aggravation. People are free to respond with comments or in a separate e-mail.
9. I find myself taking more pictures and documenting my family's life because I 'blog. Sometimes I may even get out and do something "'blog-worthy" (rather than be lazy and do nothing) in anticipation of a future posting!
10. It's fun! The moment it becomes more of a burden, just take a break and get a new perspective.
11. No Rules! The sky is the limit! There are no "'blog police", but you can be sanctioned or deleted if others flag you as inappropriate. Common courtesy and decency still apply.
Hazards of Blogging:
1. Using a 'blog as a political or religious soapbox: Although this seems to be the intent of some 'blogs, I generally (but not always) choose to keep religion and politics out of it. I still have my own strong religious beliefs and political leanings, but I don't use this forum as a tool of propaganda or proselyting. I am very happy to share my beliefs with anyone, but on a more personal level. (This does not necessarily preclude my use of the 'blog to let off steam or as a stress release with an occasional rant & rave on some subject - tongue-in-cheek, of course!)
2. Spending too much time 'blogging: Like all areas of my life, I am constantly trying to maintain balance - which is not always easy. Generally speaking, if my marriage, family, work or other responsibilities begin to take second place and my 'blog becomes an obsessive priority, I need to step back and re-evaluate.
3. Privacy and security: I am careful to not give out personal information in words or images on my 'blog. I don't give out last names, addresses, or even city of residence. Perhaps I am slightly paranoid, but I would rather err on the side of caution. Close family and friends already know who I am and how to reach me.
4. Losing it all: Once you accumulate months or years of postings, it is a good idea to archive it all, rather than just trust your 'blog server. You could try to log in one day and find it all inadvertently purged! There are many ways to do this - such as, have each entry e-mailed to yourself, print out a hard copy of each entry, save each entry in another program, such as Word, or use an archiving program or service which actually saves it all in it's original form on your hard drive.
Summary:
These previous lists are just some of the many pro's and con's of 'blogging.
Here are some suggestions for getting started:
1. Keep each posting/entry concise and to the point. Make it easy and interesting to read. Instead of one big posting, divide it up into smaller ones with different titles or topics. This allows the reader to keep interest and come back later for more.
2. Include lots of pictures/images & video. (Hopefully it helps make up for my boring writing!) Even if you don't have a digital camera, you can search and find all kinds of pic's on the 'net to use in your 'blog. Just remember to get permission if needed, and give credit where due.
3. Measure your words carefully. If you think you might regret a posting later, don't do it. Once posted, it is "out there" forever, and could come back to haunt you when you least expect it.
4. Frequency: There are no hard and fast rules, but generally speaking, I find myself losing interest if someone does not update or post something at least once every week or two.
5. Theme: You can pick a specific overall theme and title, if you want - I choose to keep mine general, and not limit myself to any one subject.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
2 Points!
He shoots - He Scores!
These were Landon's first two points of the season!
He has a general height disadvantage, but he
makes up for it with his "scrappiness" and hustle.
His growth spurt can't be too far away! :-)
Today was their second game of the season. They won their first game last week handily. This game they fell behind and had to play catch-up. They pulled to within three points in the last minutes, but couldn't close the gap. They now have a 1-1 record for the young season!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
1WD
I suppose I could spend the rest of Winter wishing for airtime, cursing the snow, or I could just enjoy it and look forward to Spring. I did notice in the weather almanac that the number of daylight minutes are gradually increasing! (Is it Groundhog Day yet?!!)
So, part of "enjoying" (this is fun?!) the snow is riding my motorcycle to work. This morning was a bit of a treacherous, white-nuckle ride, as there was enough snow to cause some school districts to at least consider calling it a "snow day". The fresh snow on the road actually gave me better traction than hard-packed ice. I just had to be careful on the corners or crossing any ruts! I left early enough to avoid the busy traffic, and when the roads are good, it is only about an eight minute ride. The sun actually peeked through this afternoon and the roads were clear for the ride home. Yeeee-Haaaaaw!
Okay, okay - so maybe I did run with scissors a few times when I was a kid. Don't worry, Dad, I am wearing my helmet!
