Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Consistently wrong since 2002

White supremacy is terrorism.

The willow is too close to the house.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Everybody saw this coming.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

He really is that stupid.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

You are here: Home / Absent Friends / A Totally True, Actually Happened, and Never Before Told Story of Bixby!

A Totally True, Actually Happened, and Never Before Told Story of Bixby!

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Last night in a comment to Cole’s Thank You All post, former lurker and newest full time commenter – no pressure – CindyH stated:

As a lurker, I’ll come out and say how much I’m going to miss the stories and pictures of such wonderful doggies.

Well, CindyH, we have at least one more Bixby story for you and everyone else: mine!

This should also clear up why TaMara considered asking me to do the post yesterday, because as far as I know, I’m the only front pager who actually met Bixby.

Several of you, okay maybe one of you, okay maybe no one remembers, but way, way, way back in the before times of January 2019 I mentioned that I would be doing a keynote address on information warfare at a conference on information threats in Colorado. That conference was scheduled for April 2019, but got bumped because the resort had over scheduled Spring weddings. So we rescheduled for October 2019. Guess what happened? We had to cancel because forest fires were threatening the resort. And, once again, we rescheduled for March 2020. I bet you can’t guess what happened then???

When I thought I was going to be flying through Denver in April, I told TaMara and asked if she wanted to connect. Instead of flying in Tuesday and out Friday AM, I’d stay through the weekend and fly out Sunday afternoon. If the Avs were playing I’d get hockey tickets, I could meet the dogs and the rest of the menagerie, etc. She said sure. The Avs were not playing that week at home, but when they told me we were rescheduling for October, I checked the next seasons schedule and there was a Friday night home game, so we’re in business. So the beginning of October 2019 rolls around and I’ve been sitting on non-stop round trip tickets to Denver on Southwest. I’ve already done the no charge reschedule once, the woman in charge of the program was basically told to mind her own business by the person handling payments when the former told the latter to reimburse me already, so I wasn’t going to get reimbursed for the airplane tickets I’d paid for back in February, and we’re once again getting rescheduled. To top it all off, I had a sinus infection and I’m just starting the antibiotics. So I feel like crap, I’ve got plane tickets I can’t get reimbursed for, I’ve got hockey tickets I can’t get a refund on, I’ve got a hotel reservation a few miles from TaMara’s I can cancel, I’ve not worked out for four days and I wasn’t going to be able to for two more weeks because of the antibiotics.

I texted TaMara, told her I’d just transfer the e-tickets to her, and she could go see the game with a local friend on me. TaMara, ever pragmatic, texted back I should just change the plane tickets to fly in Friday morning and we’d catch the game, hang out Saturday and Sunday, and I’d fly home. Basically a mini-vacation. So that’s what I did.

Till now this story has not been told. Why you might ask? Because we were afraid John would be beside himself, because I got to meet Penelope Pearl the Duck. I am not kidding… However, TaMara said it was okay for me to tell it now. I won’t post the pictures I took of Penelope Pearl so as not to upset John too much.

Anyhow, here’s where Bixby enters the story.

I arrive at the airport in Denver, figure out where TaMara is meeting me, and head there. TaMara is driving her plug in hybrid Kona, which is a small SUV. In the back seat is Bixby and Scout. I first give sritchees through the back seat hatch while I’m putting my bags in the back and then I get in the front seat. At this point you can hear the SUV groan. I’m honestly not sure the Kona is rated for two Great Danes and me. And off we go. First stop the Jewish cemetery in Golden to visit my grandparents’ and my aunt’s graves.

Bixby decided he wanted me to know who was in charge. And it wasn’t me despite my sitting up front next to his momma!!!! So what does he do? With his butt still on the back seat he leans over the headrest and puts his head on top of my head and then goes dead weight with it. That’s right we drove for the next 45 minutes with me wearing Bixby for a hat! Or Bixby using my head for a chin rest! After the cemetery we went to a park across the street to exercise Bixby and Scout a bit before heading off for lunch. And, yes dear, gentle reader, I had Bixby’s head on mine all the way to the restaurant. And all the way from there to TaMara’s. It is a very good thing I do neck exercises on shoulder day!

TaMara did stop the car several times to try to get him to stop. But after the third or fourth attempt he clearly wasn’t going to. And it wast just funny.

Did I mention that he drooled? We got to the restaurant – really good BBQ place – and go in. TaMara looks properly put together. I look like I’d just stuck my head in a vat of industrial solvent…

For this to really make sense, for the sheer hilarity of it, you need to understand that despite me being 5’11 and usually weighing between 265 and 275 depending on how clean I’m eating, and at that point since I’d been ill and hadn’t been working out, I was probably up around 280, Bixby’s head was still bigger than mine! To give you some idea of the relative sizes, here are some pictures. This first one is from Saturday morning at TaMara’s when Bixby and Scout wanted attention before we headed off for the day. I appreciated TaMara preserving my secret identity by how she framed the picture.

A Totally True, Actually Happened, and Never Before Told Story of Bixby!

This second picture was actually taken on Friday night after dinner. I’ve made a slight revision to it to preserve my secret identity. Let me know in the comments if you can tell.

A Totally True, Actually Happened, and Never Before Told Story of Bixby! 1

I think you get the idea just how big Bixby was. Imagine, if you can, having Bixby use your head as a chin rest all afternoon.

And that is my Bixby story!

He was a very big good boy!

Open thread!

PS: If you’re wondering who the Avalanche played that night, it was the Mighty Ducks. Because that just makes sense given the rest of the story.

Reader Interactions

154Comments

  1. 1.

    CindyH

    Was tempted to write “ no comment” but this story is priceless. Yes a very big good boy!

  4. 4.

    Ruckus

    I wrote in a thread earlier that I had a neighbor/friend when I lived/worked in Marin County, CA that owned a great dane and a pug. The dane was about Bixby’s size, and also took no grief from any human. He was in charge and there was no discussion about it. Ever. He was putty in the hands of my friend, she treated him well and he knew who was boss.

  5. 5.

    Kristine

    Am I in moderation? Post didn’t show up. Thought I forgot to hit “post” and rewrote post, but when I tried to send it, I was told it was a duplicate.

  7. 7.

    zhena gogolia

    Wow, I missed that John Cole thread from last night. So many nice infrequent commenters on it.

  8. 8.

    Leto

    I could meat the dogs

    YOU MONSTER! :P

    Cute story, and I’m glad one of us got to meet the gentle giant

    Also regarding John meeting Penelope Pearl … I think if we funded this cross country road trip, it would match the epicness of his roadtrip with ABL to the DNC. John, in overalls, meeting Penelope Pearl. It’s the BJ meetup we’ve all been waiting for :)

  10. 10.

    MazeDancer

    Wonderful story!

    And Scout looks like a dainty lap dog next to Bixby. And, indeed fits beautifully in your lap, Adam. Never realized completely Bixby’s immense size. (Such a good boy!)

    And we should really get some duck pics. John can handle it.

  11. 11.

    prostratedragon

    Did I mention that he drooled?
    I had been wondering! That whole story is absolutely hilarious. Hail, King Bixby, and see you in the mist.

  16. 16.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: The steak I just cooked for dinner is resting ahead of me eating it. So meat was on my mind. And on the menu.

    As for John, Penelope Pearl died a while back, so no road trip.

  17. 17.

    Adam L Silverman

    @prostratedragon: Wonder no more. We walked into the restaurant and I said “I’m going to the men’s room, be right back.” Now its true that I did have to use the facilities, but I also wanted to try to wipe off as much drool as possible. I am very glad that I keep my hair cut short and I had it cut the day before I flew out. Made hand paper toweling off much, much easier.

  18. 18.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I won’t post the pictures I took of Penelope Pearl so as not to upset John too much.

    You are a horrible person. And John never reads the blog anyhow. UNLEASH THE PIX!!

  19. 19.

    Alison Rose

    Good lord, Bixby was probably taller than I am even with all of his paws on the ground. This is a wonderful story, thank you for sharing.

    BTW…is TaMara’s name pronounced with emphasis on the first or second syllable?

  20. 20.

    mrmoshpotato

    With his butt still on the back seat he leans over the headrest and puts his head on top of my head and then goes dead weight with it. That’s right we drove for the next 45 minutes with my wearing Bixby for a hat! Or Bixby using my head for a chin rest!

    Hahahahaha!  That’s great!

  21. 21.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    Funny story, and my condolences to John  and TaMara on the loss of beloved pets.

  27. 27.

    Joy in FL

    I love the story and the photos. I grew up with a Great Dane. I love them so much.
    Thanks for posting, Adam.

  30. 30.

    CaseyL

    NOW IT CAN BE TOLD!

    The story of how Adam flew across the country to wear a Bixby headpiece…

    or:

    The story of how TaMara convinced Adam to fly across the country in order to provide Bixby with a headrest.

    An adorable story; and thank you for sharing it.

  33. 33.

    O. Felix Culpa

    I’m in the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. Might be acid reflux, might be appendicitis. Whether those or something else, it hurts like hell and I have a long wait ahead of me.

  36. 36.

    Caphilldcne

    wow this is hilarious. I hadn’t commented on the Rosie/Bixby stories  but the joy of these remembrances has been wonderful. It’s inspiring me.  I think I’ll put together a plan and go find a dog in need of a home this fall. My late lamented, goofy, black lab Sasha passed away in 2012 and it’s time. Thank you for these memories of Rosie and Bixby, and Tunch, and all the many pets of the commentariat. Long may their names be sung.

  48. 48.

    Starfish

    I really wanted to go to your talk that never happened! I also want to know what the barbecue place was.

  49. 49.

    Adam L Silverman

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: We did go up into one of the national parks. TaMara wanted to see how far a guy with a sinus infection who’d just gotten to altitude could walk before he stroked out. She has the most unique MO of any serial killer on earth. But that, my friends, is a story for another day…

  52. 52.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Alison Rose: To my ears, and please remember I’m completely tone deaf, the emphasis is at the beginning. But you’ll have to ask her to be sure.

  53. 53.

    VeniceRiley

    Lovely. What a huge gorgeous doggo Bixby was!  Bonus it will eat John up knowing you have duck pics held back.

  54. 54.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Starfish: Supposedly the talk will happen. If it does ever get rescheduled, I’ll let everyone know.

    TaMara will have to tell you the name of the BBQ place.

  56. 56.

    opiejeanne

    @debbie: I noticed those paintingstoo. The one on the left reminds me of one of Monet’s paintings of his chickens.

  57. 57.

    O. Felix Culpa

    Thanks, all. They have just taken much blood (or so it feels to me) and now we wait some more.

  61. 61.

    opiejeanne

    @O. Felix Culpa: Oh no! I hope it’s not serious. They’ve all told you to keep us updated. I hope they pay attention to you very soon and make you comfortable.

  64. 64.

    Gravenstone

    @mrmoshpotato: I’m reminded of the scene from “Police Academy” where Bubba Smith’s character tries to get into a small Honda. Realizes he won’t fit, then tears out the front seat bare handed and sits (and fits) in the backseat before starting the car and taking off.

  65. 65.

    Dan B

    @O. Felix Culpa: I hope it’s easily remedied.  I had appendicitis twice.  The docs and my parents decided it “was not” the first time.  The second bout six months later I decided that stoic was not going to result in what I realized was inevitable so I went full-tilt hysterical.  I screamed for hours, all the way into Akron General Hospital and was expedited through emergency due, no doubt, to more of the same.  This was in the 50’s when the surgery was more dramatic.  The first bout I was subjected to bismuth milkshakes and Medieval medical procedures.  I believe medicine has advanced.  Holler as needed.  You’ve got permission to do so from a veteran of abdominal pain.

  67. 67.

    Elizabelle

    Bixby the Head Dominator. Another side of this multi-faceted Dane.

    @O. Felix Culpa:  Oh no. Hope whatever is wrong is minimal and they can make you comfortable, soonest.

  69. 69.

    Dan B

    Adam; There are pics of you on the intertubes with no beard, as I recall.  The beard looks good and it’s nice to enjoy so much hunky male scenery, hoomin and pooch!  I can hear the Honda’s groan.  And the sofa.

  70. 70.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Dan B: There are no pics of me on the Internet without a beard. In fact, as far as I know, there are no pics of me on the Internet at all. There is a single video that USAWC has posted on their YouTube channel of me giving a lecture.

  72. 72.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Anotherlurker: You’ll have to ask TaMara.

    I used to live in Denver. And for a while we had a place up around 9,000 feet or so in the mountains in New Mexico.

  76. 76.

    dexwood

    A jump to bottom comment. Sorry if said already. Next time, take a towel, be prepared. Dinner. Night BJ.

  82. 82.

    Kattails

    @O. Felix Culpa: OH no, that’s nasty.  Appendicitis is pain in the lower right hand side, at least mine was very localized. Hope it’s nothing but also very smart not to mess around.

  85. 85.

    JanieM

    I’m reading this post and laughing so hard while the tears run down my face — both hilarity and grief, I guess. Thanks to all the participants, the narrator, the whole damned crew for sharing the story with the rest of us.

  87. 87.

    Kattails

    Adam, this is a great story.  I had missed the post about Bixby, will go hunt  it down.

  88. 88.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Dan B: I’m amazed just at how much better, and more precisely targeted, both general and local anesthesia have gotten since I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. I had to go under a couple of times recently and I expected from all past experience to get sick and throw up afterward, but there was none of that.

    A few years ago I had multiple surgeries to install a dental implant–all done under local. I think they numbed less of my face for that than they did to do a regular cavity drill-and-fill back in the 80s.

  89. 89.

    lurker

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Penelope Pearl pix or it didn’t happen.  We already have evidence that the first picture was edited to give Adam a normal looking head.  The second picture is unretouched, which is interesting.  Must be the Florida water.

    So, in conclusion, we gotta have Penelope Pearl pix and I am not a crank.  Also too many of you are on my lawn

    ETA: it is a good story.

  96. 96.

    Sure Lurkalot

    Thanks for the life with Bixby story.

    I lived with my best friend’s family for a few months to finish high school when my parents moved away. They had a dane, Tramp, fondly, Trample, a beautiful tan clumsy galoot. My friend’s family were diminutive…basically under 5’…and why oh why a dane? He outweighed them all. Like Bixby, Tramp was all about shoulders and loved to dance with his paws around your neck, breathing hot air and dripping drool. He was a sweet boy.

  97. 97.

    Dan B

    @Adam L Silverman: I thought I saw a still of you giving the lecture.  Don’t remember if you had a beard or not, as you can tell from my comment.  I remember that Bixby was dark charcoal / black and Scout brindle or spotted grey.  I’m afraid to guess if you were in a suit or what color….  Fortunately I don’t have Photoshop on this phone so I cannot plop your “lecture” face on your Bixby, Scout, Tamara visit and email that to JC for its utility at inflicting revenge for your audience with Penelope Pearl.

  100. 100.

    Gvg

    My uncle won a car with his Great Dane. He heard a radio station giveaway for the biggest and smallest dog in Gainesville so he went home and got Boomer. He won. He was also late picking my aunt up from work, and she didn’t really believe his excuse until he drove home with the new car. It was a Chrysler slant 6 and they got 300,000 out of it.

    I have had appendicitis. It was not fun. I was 13 and weeks recovering from the surgery. I remember the time waiting and the doctors standing around debating if it was or wasn’t. They seemed to take forever to decide on surgery. I remember them asking me what I thought it was and I was too polite to scream I am 13, you are the doctors, make it stop hurting! I thought it though. Boy was I glad to wake up after and only have normal surgery pain. It happened very fast too, within hours.

  101. 101.

    Dan B

    @Matt McIrvin: Is an Appendectomy arthroscopic these days?  You probably get a tranquilizer, a local, and a video to watch.  I remember “square needles”, a tilting x-ray slab, and other things that were “memorable” that haven’t been done for half a century.

  102. 102.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Dan B: I had a van dyke only at that time. I grew my full beard out again back in 2018 when I thought I was going to deploy for a bit.

  103. 103.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Dan B: They probably do them with some kind of endoscope-like device. I’m not sure, having not had one (my roommate had to have one back in the 80s; I remember even then the incision was very small).

    I had some mysterious abdominal pain that doctors dismissed for years, eventually got bad enough that I thought it might be appendicitis or worse–but at long last I more or less got to the bottom of it, and it turned out to be a combination of acid reflux and diverticulosis. Manageable with drugs, diet, exercise etc.

  104. 104.

    Mary G

    @Dan B: Adam is very paranoid and you should stop poking the bear. When he first came to Balloon Juice, I asked him about his dogs, as it is custom here to provide references of humanity with pet pictures.

    He refused to answer for reasons of “operational security,” and it is only years later that he has divulged their names – Rosie and Ruby, I think, I don’t write this stuff down, told us that they are lab mixes, and provided photos of them wearing strings of Christmas lights in the dark.

  109. 109.

    persistentillusion

    @Matt McIrvin: As a kid in the 60s, I became ill at our next-door neighbors’ house.  The paterfamilias told one look at me, palpated my abdomen and announced “I’m taking your appendix out right now.” Fortunately, he was the head of pediatric surgery at the local uni.  I was put under and awoke tied to the hospital bed.  I had seized coming out from the anesthesia.  Sore for days.

  115. 115.

    Argiope

    Terrific story.  I sense a collective “awwwwwwww” throughout the Juiceosphere.  Bixby neutralizing the new human through drool and head weight is the most Dane thing ever, and I hope that memory will keep TaMara smiling through at least some of the tears. My sister had a rescue “starter Dane”, a smaller version (only about 110#) for about 5 years.  If Lola was concerned about your safety, she’d just kind of keep you in one spot through sheer mass until she decided you were safe, penning you in and leaning until the threat was resolved.  At least, that was her usual method. Once, there was a B&E in progress in the house across the street from my sister’s.  There was an 8′ concrete wall all around my sister’s yard, but when Lola’s head came up over it, jaws bared and barking, the would-be thieves abandoned their mission, dropped the TV they were carrying on the sidewalk, and RUNOFFT.  Good dogs, Danes.

  117. 117.

    Laura Too

    What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing it. What an absolute love of a dog.

  118. 118.

    Dan B

    @Mary G: I wondered.  There was something he wrote, probably about his experience and credentials that made me curious if he had other published pieces.  There he was at a lecture or in some modest sized room.  He looked like the description of a regular linebacker type of guy.  His writings are far more impactful and memorable to me.  I first thought he was a skinny intellectual type so his picture at the lecture was a surprise.

     

    And he does seem to grow a beard that many guys would envy.  My partner and I do also although the current one is shaved off because of strangely random graying and white patches.  I hope he realizes that I sometimes wonder if people look like the impression they make on paper.  Sometimes everything aligns between my imagination and reality.

     

    I had a brief moment if local fame which creeped me out – people whispering and pointing.  It’s fun to see him with the dogs.  That’s plenty.  His writing seems like a miracle to me.

  119. 119.

    frosty

    Great story Adam! Wiping off the drool in the bathroom was the cherry on top

    My condolences, Tamara, for the loss of both Bixby and Penelope Pearl.

  120. 120.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Dan B: Actually it was a subdivided ballroom at the Army Heritage Education Center (AHEC). Which is affiliated with USAWC, but is off post. So holding lectures for the community there is an excellent choice because you don’t have to hassle with security or having a military ID to come on to Carlisle Barracks proper.

    This lecture was part of USAWC’s Great Decisions Lecture Series. It was the second one I’d done for them. My first year I did a talk with a  colleague on Haiti. The same year I did the talk in that video, I did the same or similar talk for Great Decisions Lecture Series in VA, as well as for a similar lecture series down in Lancaster, PA.

  121. 121.

    Dan B

    @Adam L Silverman: I will keep this at top of mind.  Since we are at opposite corners of the lower 48 I hope this minimizes my impact on any paranoia.  I’m also not planning on flying anywhere in the future.  This week of barbaric weather here in the PNW reminds me that’s a good idea, a very good idea.  If we can get somewhere on low carbon electricity in our Leaf that’s where we should go and no more.

  122. 122.

    Dan B

    @Adam L Silverman: If there are more it would be great if they are streamed or otherwise available, with or without beard or with or without you on camera.  Audio would be great.

  124. 124.

    Villago Delenda Est

    TaMara, my personal condolences to you and family upon learning of the passing of Bixby. Missed it in all the Rosie tributes. Bixby and Rosie, under Tunch’s strict supervision, are playing in a grassy field somewhere.

  125. 125.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Freaking hilarious and holy crap, I knew Bixby was a big doggie but wow!

  127. 127.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Dan B: As far as I know none of the others were. The one in Virginia was for a local Great Decisions group in Alexandria, VA. That was a favor for a colleague. His mother in law was on the program committee and, apparently, they had been having trouble finding someone who could do that one particular talk, which was on the Arab Spring and its effects and implications. Given the number of universities in DC, as well as the fact that there is at least one Middle East subject matter expert on the faculty of at least two different colleges at National Defense University (NDU) and there’s an entire center focusing on the Middle East at NDU, I don’t know why they were having trouble, but they were. Anyhow, his mother in law apparently asked him if he could find someone at USAWC and since I was doing that lecture for USAWC he asked if I could help. I remember briefing it at the Commandant’s Update Brief and someone asked how they found me and I explained I was doing it so  Colonel So and So would be able to celebrate thanksgiving as his mother in law wouldn’t be mad at him. Which caused the Commandant to laugh.

    Long story short, none of the other ones I did were recorded and made available anywhere.

  128. 128.

    eddie blake

    late to the party (again), have had a very busy couple of days and my week is just packed like, pre-plague packed.

    condolences for the fuzzies. i know you guys gave them the best lives they could have.

    also-great story. been drooled on by my share of dogs. when i was a kid, we hadda afghan hound the size of a small horse. site i’m working at has a lab pup. he’s never seen anyone as big as me, so he can’t decide if he wants to make friends or show me who’s boss. it makes for a lot of barking.

    just found out this morning that one of my oldest friends died over the weekend. this has been a rough couple of days.

  130. 130.

    Kattails

    @Adam L Silverman: Get real, there wasn’t enough left of Don Jr’s stash to get a cockroach high.  From the sound of him, he ate the paper and licked the table.

    @Gvg: I hung on all day with the pain–no insurance– a (male) neighbor finally drove me to the ER.  The doc kept asking me if I could be pregnant, kept looking back and forth at the two of us. Like, NO dammit.  Turned out the appendix had ruptured.  That’s why I said don’t mess with it.  I was lucky.

  132. 132.

    eddie blake

    @Adam L Silverman:

    thank you. yeah. knew him since the mid-nineties. one of the best carpenters i’ve ever seen. talented musician. effortless public speaker. endless charisma. it just sucks.

  133. 133.

    Ohio Mom

    Eddie Blake:

    I’m catching up on this thread, just got to your comment — Deepest condolences on the loss of your friend. An old friend — that’s a lot of shared memories you are left with, without the person you created them with.

  134. 134.

    opiejeanne

    @Dan B: Ha! They took mine out through a tiny incision in my belly button, a couple of years ago. Recovery time was very short compared to what it used to be because of the minimally invasive method used today.

  135. 135.

    eddie blake

    @Ohio Mom:

    thanks. i was definitely caught flat footed by the news. have had my head up my ass for the last week or so. that’s a good way to miss a lot.

  136. 136.

    Ohio Mom

    Eddie Blake:
    Almost everyone is caught flat-footed when a dear one dies, we’re often all lost in our own dazes (I think that is synonymous with “head up my ass”), life is hard to manage a lot of the time and a daze is just us trying to cope with it all.

    Cut yourself some slack. Cherish those memories, you are the only one who can now.

  138. 138.

    Ohio Mom

    Opiejeanne:

    My brother had his appendix out 23 years ago (easy to remember because Ohio Son was just a few months old), and even then it was only a couple of tiny incisions.

    Our neighbor at the time, a gastroentologist, told us that a fair number of perfectly good appendixes were removed because surgeons couldn’t be absolutely sure which ones needed removing and erred on the side of caution. I can’t belueve that is still true with contemporary imaging.

  140. 140.

    Captain C

    What an adorable and enormous dog.  And Bixby certainly seems to have picked the right human.  I know his memory will be a blessing.

  141. 141.

    Captain C

    Also, Adam, the altered pic of you makes you look like you could be a certain interesting character in a notional vid/movie/TV production of one of Daniel Keys Moran’s Tales of the Continuing Time series.

  144. 144.

    Felanius Kootea

    Condolences to TaMara on Bixby and John on Rosie.

    Great story from the nicest headrest on the blog :).

  145. 145.

    Tony Jay

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Lol. That’s one big, big, boy. You can fee the love in that picture.

    BTW – if that’s you in that shot I now will read every one of your comments as read by the late, great Helen McCrory.

    @Captain C:

    Interesting. Which character?

    I love DKM’s work and was chuffed to find out he was a solid liberal dude.

  146. 146.

    opiejeanne

    @Ohio Mom: It was with me: mine was not classic appendicitis and I didn’t react to the pressure test. They were puzzled and tried to image my appendix, and couldn’t see that It was a fast-growing cyst that was ready to burst my appendix, which would have been really nasty to clean up if it had. They figured this out after they removed the appendix and realized that the cyst was captured on a CT colonography six weeks earlier, but no one noticed because they weren’t looking at my appendix, and the cyst at that point was a 6 (cm ?). Six weeks later it was a 10 and was causing the pain.

    Hindsight justified the surgery. Peritonitis is not a nice thing to have.

  150. 150.

    J R in WV

    on my very first swing at college, at Dickenson, in Carlisle PA, where the US Army War College is “the other school” a prof had a St Bernard, and would bring it around the dorms to visit with students missing their dogs back at home. I got down on the floor to meet the dog, on my hands and knees, and dog was bigger than I was. Also drooled a whole lot, which was fine with me.

    My next door grandma had a G Dane when I was a little, drool was a good thing when I was a kid.

    Thanks for sharing the visit with Bixby, esp the head rest photo!

    RIP, furballs…

  151. 151.

    Tony Jay

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Then congratulations, the imaginary speaking voice you have been assigned is one of the best in the business. Suggested phrases:

    “The Dark Lord will not be pleased.”

    And

    “A Malfoy does not say ‘please’.”

    Not sure how you’ll work them into posts but hey, whats life without a challenge? 8-)

  153. 153.

    Captain C

    @Tony Jay: Either the Name Storyteller, or perhaps a (notional) character who is a similar type, but not Camber Tremodian (needs black eyes for that).

    I’ve always seen DKM as the writing equivalent of an excellent and innovative band with a big vision that got screwed over by its record label.  I really dig his work too, and keep hoping for more.

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