Before we officially bid farewell to the current calendar year, I’d like to acknowledge a few events that affected my life during the past 12 months. Like you, there have been wonderful moments, and there have been sad ones, memorable days, and many that were just… days. While thinking back, I realized that I have not even posted on my blog one time. Not intentionally, but a blank slate until this one is published. I really must adhere to a New Year’s resolution to strive for at least a weekly observation, if not daily.
Family health has been front and center this year, as my wife of 44 years has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She discovered a small mass, immediately saw her doctor, tests were done, and the decision was made to remove the tumor, and decide on the next course of action. Ultimately, that led to her current treatment that will wrap up in a few weeks, then a re-assessment will take place. So far, the indicators are positive. We will maintain high spirits.
A few months back, our beloved Bentley, who was being treated for epilepsy, suffered a massive seizure. He wasn’t able to function after the attack. Our vet, Dr B, had prepared us for this possibility and we all knew his quality of life would never change from that point forward. We enjoyed him for the near 5 years after bringing this joyful puppy into our home. He will be sorely missed.
On this final day of 2024, we will not truly know what the New Year will bring from a political and real life perspective. I won’t spend a lot of time explaining my personal views about the election cycles that we’ve experienced over the past few exercises, nor what I perceive as the current ‘State of the Union’. I will say that while the vast majority of Americans don’t want any more rancor or power grabs from the political class on both sides, it appears that we may be in for a rough go as the extremists, mainly on the left side of the spectrum have already pledged to do whatever it takes to prevent their loss of power. Their demonstrated violence and disruptive tactics over the past, not the so-called ‘J6 Insurrectionists’ (since there wasn’t one), but the leftist mobs whose mostly peaceful protests weren’t anything of the kind. It’s time for Unity, not Division. Hard to do that when the left isn’t interested in a prosperous society that cooperates toward building the greatest nation on the planet… again.
There were only a few times this past year that ‘Lil Red and the Beast headed out on the road, which included two trips from our home base to Paducah, KY, so Deborah could connect with her sister and help with an estate sale. It was also the final time Bentley was part of our travels. 2025 will hopefully provide us with many more opportunities to load up and continue our quest to ‘Explore The Real America’.
