We had 2 pileated woodpeckers visit us at the cabin today

At my happy place for a little post-Christmas winter getaway.

The calm before the storm called Christmas Eve dinner

Even 20+ years after I discovered them, I continue to be amazed by Steger mukluks. Hours out in snow and subzero weather, and my feet still feel like I’m walking around in cozy warm slippers.

There is something immensely satisfying about working up a sweat while the temps are below 5 degrees F (-25 with windchill) outside.

Sad news for NFL fans, and for Steeler fans in particular. Franco was known for making the most iconic play in NFL history, but he was so much more than “The Immaculate Reception”

RIP Franco Harris

Sleepy pup

Headed to a family Christmas gathering that had been going on for over 100 years annually until COVID shut it down for 2 years. A lot of people are still being cautious and staying away, and we might be the only ones attending that aren’t part of the anti-vax wing of the family.

My first thought this morning was “Oh my, how beautiful.” My next thought was “Oh my, how heavy this is going to be to clean up.”

Amy and I watched “Bullet Train” last night and it was delightful. Lots of grotesque comic book violence, so avoid if that’s not your thing. But it was incredibly funny, and the story was very well written.

I think the woman in front of me in line at the BK just ordered like 6 whoppers, each with different combinations of options. This could take a while.

Just finished watching The Peripheral - I liked it but think I need to rewatch to really understand all the bits I didn’t catch the first time through.

Our youngest Steeler fan at today’s Steeler Fans of Minnesota gathering in Saint Paul

I used to love “Free to Be… You and Me” as a kid. Hard to believe it was released 50 years ago.

As much as I dislike Ted Cruz as a senator, my heart goes out to him and his family as they care for their teenage daughter through difficult times. We can all put politics aside when the health of innocent loved ones are at risk.

Glad that Warnock won in Georgia, but terrified that there were enough Walker supporters to make it close. The number of people willing to vote for such a grossly unqualified candidate astounds me.

Went into the office today for what has become a monthly in-person team meeting. And while I value the face-to-face connection, I am so glad to work for a group that remains primarily remote. Personal connection is important, and sometimes business-critical. But not always.

Tree is up and lights are on. Decorations will have to wait until tonight or tomorrow.

The traditional meet-up with Santa as we pick out our Christmas tree. It was delayed by a week due to flu in the house, but better late than never.

With the Republican Party splintering on who to support as Speaker of the House, I would love to see Liz Cheney floated as a candidate. She’d probably get votes from a lot of Republicans and most of the Democrats.

Just registered for my 4th consecutive CureSearch Ultimate Hike, raising money for pediatric cancer research. Hopefully my knees will hold up better than the last time.

The holiday yard decorations look so much nicer with a fresh blanket of snow.

E is ready for a Steeler win tonight

The US healthcare insurance system is a joke. Getting a COVID booster at a clinic associated with my primary care doctor is considered in-network preventative care. But add a flu shot during the same visit, and that makes it an out of network office visit. Makes sense, right?

Day 8 and I appear to be finally free of influenza. As much as I enjoy laying around watching TV all day, I’m glad to be done with this one.

One benefit of being down with the flu is catching up on TV shows I had fallen behind on. Just binged House of the Dragon

When my youngest child was 11, they had a pretty bad case of pneumonia. We gave them a stuffed unicorn to cheer them up.

Years later, it has been named “the magical unicorn of healing.” It is handed off to any family member who is sick.

Traditions.

Grrr. My cold has lingered for weeks, slowly getting better. Now that we’ve got a holiday week upon us, it has gotten worse. Fever, aces, and possibly flu.

Bad timing sucks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating it.

The face I see when I am sitting on the couch where JuJu wants to be, followed by his satisfaction when I give him that spot.

The wild turkeys are out, wandering the streets of South Minneapolis and showing no fear of the cars wanting to drive past.

I’ve seen more than a few Elon Musk apologists pointing out that Twitter seems to be working just fine, so obviously the firings were justified. These people have no idea what it takes to maintain a reliable service at scale. Wait a few months before passing judgement.

Best place on a day when it’s 17 F outside? How about a dog bed right by the radiator?

JuJu has no interest in a dog walk when it’s below freezing outside. Curling up in the sun is much more enjoyable on days like today.

Last week: One child and one dog diagnosed with ear infections. This week: Other child diagnosed with Influenza A and other dog diagnosed with anaplasma. I have no more children and no more dogs, so let’s hope next week has no more diagnoses

A lot of people in shitty jobs are now thinking “It could be worse… I could work for Elon Musk”

Sad that my daughter’s college search process now needs to assess whether each college is in a state that will protect her rights to bodily autonomy. Those rights used to be guaranteed but are no longer.

Spotify announced that they will post content warning labels for any podcast episode discussing COVID-19. What they don’t say is that they would distinguish between content that lies about COVID vs those that are factual.

Not good enough, Spotify.