And It Just Keeps Getting Crappier

You know how the Sun is a zillion times bigger and brighter than the Moon, but they seem to be the same size in the sky (especially noticeable during eclipses)? That's because the Moon is so much closer to us.

I mention this because something came to pass today that's totally trivial in the grand scheme of things, and to the average person would certainly seem insignificant next to all the horrendous problems facing society as a whole. But it was very close to Abigail and me, and so looms large in our minds.

Our beloved guinea pig had stopped eating about 3 weeks ago, and a visit to the vet confirmed the worst: He had 4 cancerous growths in his lungs. On the off chance that they might have been the result of an infection instead, the vet prescribed antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and appetite stimulants, and we had to syringe-feed him a nutritious mixture of liquified powdered veggies 3 times a day. But it did no good, and today we authorized his euthanasia.

RIP Lieutenant Colonel Sir Asparagus Charlemagne Mortimer Balthazar Russell-Darwin the 27th, DFA, KBE, Lord of the Dark Realm (“but that’s such a fuss to pronounce that we usually called him just Gus”), 2016 Feb. 12 – 2020 June 30.

He was the sweetest little boy on Earth, and we'll miss him dearly.

Can't let this notice pass without a heartfelt word of gratitude for the wonderful people at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, who could not possibly have been kinder, gentler, more caring, or more sympathetic — and honest. And we know they administered Gus's final treatment with that same tenderness.

2020 Hindsight

Here we are, only halfway thru 2020, it already feels like we've lived thru 5 normal years, and we've still got another half of it to go. The only regular thing that's happened has been February 29: no March Madness, no Olympics, the census is horribly screwed up, unemployment is at Great Depression levels, hitting the beaches is courting death, summer vacation consists of walking around your back yard, little kids probably won't be able to go trick-or-treating, and the presidential election is shaping up to make 2000 look like a triumph of the democratic process. Oh, and presidential lying, denial, evasion, misdirection, and general ball-dropping — which makes 9/11 seem almost quaint by comparison — has already killed off more Americans in 6 months than World War 1 did in 19.

I can hardly wait for 2020 hindsight, when we can look at these 366 days in the rear-view mirror, where they belong. I hope I live to see it. (That's not a figure of speech.)

Curiosity Makes a Rare House Call

Where the Asterisk Led

Not that it should ever have been necessary, but this is the explanatory footnote at the bottom of the main message:

A Story about a Little Girl and a Bicycle

Normally Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens is a barrel o'laffs with his recurring "Manitowoc Minute" videos, but here he gets serious with a message that I hope resonates with all of us, about a little girl and her first bike. (5 minutes)