The holidays, and a remembrance....

Out of sheer business I haven't had the time to sit down and blog since the first two entries. Now the holidays are somewhat winding down from the hubbub of parties, preparation, shopping, and somehow coping with winter weather trying to muck it all up.  So I'll steal a minute and see how far I can get with some rambling thoughts.

How have your holidays been? Ours have been pretty good, all in all, if we only think about our immediate family. And when we do, think very hard about how fortunate we are.  We're thankful to have food on the table, a roof over our heads, and our health.  On November 1, I experienced the surgeon's knife for only the second time in my life, and I came out wondering why I didn't do it sooner!  Severe lower back and leg pain fell by the wayside immediately! I woke up from surgery healed - well, I still had a month to recuperate from the actual surgery, but all of the pain was gone, and has stayed gone.  I figure, if that's the worst of it I should be thankful indeed. All summer long, I looked wistfully at my road bike parked in the garage, unable to swing a leg over the top tube to get into a riding position - I put ten miles on it in April and then had to stop. I put twice that number of pounds onto the body over the next four months. Twenty pounds later, I can now get back on with the help of a trainer that will let me "spin" during winter days when riding isn't wise. The goal is to get the weight off by May and ride the Copper Triangle Alpine Classic in August. It's a 78-mile ride to benefit the Davis Phinney Foundation, dedicated to research of Parkinson's disease which struck Davis in the prime of his riding career. Davis rode on the 7-11 team with Bob Roll, Ron Kiefel, and a few other notables and I believe was the first American to win a stage in the Tour de France. I'll have to double check that. It's a bit of a daunting goal for me - I'll let you know how it goes. Another benefit will be regaining the ability to show our dogs, and to do so without popping the button off my blazer on the go-round....

Our youngest son made it home for Thanksgiving week and helped Dad move into the iPod generation. I never thought I would go there, until an absolutely miserable flight sitting across the aisle from a very unhappy four-month old child who screamed for every minute of the three hour flight.  I looked around at all of the people who were blissfully "plugged in" and the idea began to germinate. By the end of the flight, it was an English garden in full bloom.

On the downside a lot of the people reading this will have already seen some news on the Wiscoy Breeder's Forum or elsewhere of the passing of Gail Grosscup of Ridgeview Labradors on December 7. We attended a beautiful memorial service for her and shared some tears as well as some laughter with her husband, Paul, and many family and friends.  I don't know how many people are aware, because Gail never was one for a lot of publicity about herself, but she was one of the first people to complete an AKC Championship and a Master Hunter title - and she did the training and the handling herself.  She was also a Master Hunter judge. She worked tirelessly for our club, the Labrador Retriever Club of Greater Denver, for as long as she was physically able. A little more than a year ago, Gail received a double lung transplant that extended her life, but in the end she lost a courageous fight against rejection.  She leaves behind the two things in life that she loved the most: her husband, and her dogs.  Godspeed, Gail - save me a spot at the table, would you?

That's it for this entry - until I can get back here, ciao!  Feel free to add your own comment!