updates

Crazy times around here since getting back from vacation. I’ve been on the road for work a fair bit, and we’re getting ready to officially wrap up summer as the kids gear up to go off to school—Danny for his senior year (go Cougs!) and Leah for her freshman campaign (Badger up!). Lots of moving parts this month.

To spice things up, if you’ll pardon the expression, we added Pepper a couple of weeks ago. She’s a huskie/retriever mix according to the shelter, and that’s plausible, though we have some doubts that can only be settled by the doggy DNA kit that’s on the way. Just over three months old, she’s about eighteen pounds right now, though we expect her to be a very big girl when all is said and done, regardless of her ancestry. Paws don’t lie.

Puppies are a lot like babies in that you forget how hard the early months can be; otherwise, nobody would ever do it twice. Pepper is our third pupper (RIP Jake and Arlee, greatest dogs ever), and we’ve already agreed she’s our last one. Any potential future dogs will be well past the biting and housetraining phases before they take up residence with us. Yet despite our punctured knuckles and scented floors, she’s already in full posession of our hearts. Our girl is feisty, curious, and energetic, as well as capable of extreme chill for fleeting moments. And, I mean, look at those ears.

The other important update to share is that a few weeks ago I saw my surgeon, and he cleared me to return to 100% of my pre-surgery activities. There is no further follow-up required unless I start to have problems. It’s obviously a massive relief to have that chapter behind me. I’ve started running again, and hope to return to golf, riding, and lifting soon, though time is tight (see previous). My left hand still isn’t quite back to 100% dexterity, but I’ve been playing again, including with other musicians, and so far none of them have noticed much difference between where I am and where I was before it all went south last year. (I notice, of course.) All things considered, that surgery turned out to be something pretty close to a miracle. Humans are capable of magic when we’re not doing all the…other things.