WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY

We have a special birthday greeting to a special friend: Joyce Wagar. She celebrates 87 years of joyful living on Saturday, March 5.

How quickly the years pass! Our granddaughter Jenae is celebrating her 21st birthday this week, and we are celebrating wonderful memories with her. Do join us in celebrating Jenae’s birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JERRY! I’m thinking of you today and the times of our lives we have shared and the times of our lives we haven’t shared. So, I’ve put this birthday card together, neither as a chronicle of your life nor as a celebration of your life. What it is safe and honest to say is we are “old men” whose lives have been shared in the most intimate of ways and have also been separated by thousands of miles and experiences unknown to each other. Unlike our Grandfather Jim, we cannot drive down to Conger, belly up to the counter, order a beer, and visit with an “old friend” about this and that while two little boys (us) wait impatiently in a booth near the bar. In lieu of that, I offer you these words and images from our past, many of which lead to memories of our mutual interests and experiences.

Multiple stories, including personal experiences,  novels and newspaper articles celebrate dogs’ amazing journeys to return home.  An old dog knows the home place!  An old dog is always ready and eager for one more walk in the neighborhood,  to go to the beach or hike on the trail.  One more frisbee to catch! One more swim in a lake! Then home to relax with their friends and families.

You often hear when a someone is holding a puppy, “Nothing is as cute and cuddly as a puppy!”  Of old dogs, it is often said, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. ” As if they aren’t as smart as they used to be.  The truth might be that they are too smart to keep wanting to learn tricks to amuse people.  Their deep, brown, soulful eyes reveal something else.    With grace and intuitive wisdom they accept the inevitable and yet their noses will still sniff the air for what new adventures await them and invite them to further explorations and discoveries.

Winter and January summon very different responses from people.  Winter people embrace the season and enjoy its beauty and the activities.  Summer people endure the cold, dark months or take flight for the sunnier southern latitudes.  January is a month for reflection and for making plans for the coming year.   We invite you to take a few minutes and appreciate these themes reflected in poetry.

‘Twas the Day after Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring … We were all “tucked in our beds” having sweet dreams of a very special time this year. Paul, Toni, Karl and Michelle joined  us for an early “Olson Christmas” and we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Karl’s and Michelle’s for “Proebstel/Olson gatherings. Join us for for our Christmas Eve memories.