Still it’s cancer.

I feel so deeply for those who actually have a serious form of the disease. With me I have skin scraped off my arm where a sore has been for an abnormally long time. For them it’s the prelude to serious surgery, subjecting their body to all sorts of toxic chemicals and being illuminated with radiation. All that on top of hearing, “You have cancer.”

While I needed the income I can’t say that I’m completely upset about this situation. Oh, I’m a little concerned about paying my bills but I honestly believe that there is something out there that I’m suppose to do and this was God’s way of giving me the opportunity to find it.

I know that now is not a good time to be seeking employment so I’m looking for work mainly, just about anything to bring in an income. I won’t turn down employment but I’ve got to be truthful to myself about prospects and I think I’m more likely to find paying work than finding employment. I think  I may be happier that way also.

I will now start the process of updating my résumé and several webpages (LinkedIn, CareerBuilders, this site and others I operate) and start looking for work. If you need someone who is very experienced with Wonderware, RSView, ControlLogix, PLC5 and SLC50x, OPC servers and clients or building and maintaining websites please give my a yell. My rates are reasonable and I’m currently available.

Boxers can be extremely vocal when they have something to say.

I saw people I haven’t seen in 35 years and very much surprised that I was recognized by as many people as recognized me. Some of these people I have known since 1960 and was very close to during my childhood and teenage years. Some I barely knew.  It was a joy to see every one  of them.

This got me to thinking, as it was meant to do, just how much changed and how much unchanged we all were. The personalities were all the same but our bodies have aged. So many of us were still recognizable, so few of us weren’t. The real changes weren’t personalities or physical changes but were changes in the eyes.

Last night I truly understood how the eyes are windows into our souls. Even through the joy that appeared in everyone’s eyes on seeing old friends there could be seen the sadness and joys each and every one of us had experienced over the last three and a half decades.

Our experiences were on display there, in our eyes, and I’m sure they would only be visible to people who had known each other as long as we have known each other.

Debbie, thank you so much for being the instigator of this event. Cassandra, I will be eternally grateful to you for organizing everything. Y’all and all the others involved in planning and organizing this event gave me a joy that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Oh, and Debbie, one other thing. Yes, God is good. God is good all of the time and all of the time God is good. God bless you and have safe travels.

By the end of 2003 I was spending a good bit of time on the road on business. Gerri talked me into letting her bring a dog into the house to keep her company while I was gone. In January of 2004 she adopted a little two year old Bichon Frisé from our neighbor’s grandmother who had become too old to take proper care of the dog. He won my heart pretty fast.

By late 2006 I was trying to do some hiking to pull myself into some semblance of shape and thought a little larger dog might be the thing to keep me company while hiking. After doing a good bit of research I settled on a Boxer as the breed I was looking for. I mentioned this to Gerri and by early 2007 she found a four year old female Boxer that a co-worker decided he didn’t have enough time to give proper attention. That’s how Sammie became my dog.

Sammie needed to be worked with. She would jump on visitors and generally make herself a pest to guest. She just wanted attention. I’ve been working with her over the past two years and even though she still shows excitement over guests to the house she is at least subdued enough in her enthusiasm that I don’t have to worry about her knocking anyone down.

I think the reason she was so unruly to begin with was from spending way too much of her first four years being boarded. I still travel some but now she has Gerri to take care of her while I’m goine. Before she had strangers. Still, she shows a good bit of anxiety when I am on trips and I think that has contributied to her occassional bouts with clingliness. She can be obbsessive about cuddling. This morning was one of those times.

I’m usually up at 5:30 most week day mornings, often at 5:00. On weekends I really would like to sleep until 7:00. This morning that didn’t happen. Sammie was barking and crying and sounding like her bladder might be full so I got up and took her and Mattie out to relieve themselves. When we came back in Mattie took off to curl up in the bed with Gerri while Sammie acted like she wanted to play. I put on the coffee and began playing with her.

When the coffee finished I was awake so I sat down at my computer and began reading the news. Sammie still wanted my attention. I helped her climb up in my lap and she went to sleep, there in my lap.She has a bed under my desk that she often lays in while I work. I tried to lay her down in that bed but she would have none of it. The only place she was happy was in my lap sleeping.

Now, female Boxers generally run around 55-65 lbs. Sammie is small and often mistaken for a juvenile; she weighs about 45 lbs. Still a 45 lb. dog is too big to be considered a lap dog even as expansive as my lap has become. She was not happy anywhere this morning but my lap from 5:45 until 7:00. Sometimes she just drives me crazy but I still love this dog to death.

Now, the reason I’m writing this is because my friend, Cat, and I were chatting online the other night about things our dogs do. We both agreed we could probably write a book about our dogs antics and we realized that we probably have written a good bit about our dogs online. Now I want your dog stories. How did you become introduced to your dog? Tell me about what your dog does that is amusing or drives you crazy.

And if you are a cat person, I want to hear those stories too.