Steve's Journey

We took the dogs to the vet today. They are so different from each other. Jasper started shaking as soon as he saw the building. Jada immediately made friends with all the dogs and cat, as well as their owners. And she couldn't wait for her turn to see the doc. Even after he gave her two shots, she was still okay with him. We took Jasper for Dr. P to look at his joint problem. He recommended an anti-inflammatory, starting with a shot, followed by pills.

Dogs are great companions, so much better than cats. Someone once said, "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." So true. Dogs are sensitive to your moods and always ready to please. However, I do believe that Jasper needs some anger management. He doesn't play well with others.

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Boy, you sure can accumulate a lot of paperwork over a short period of time. I thought that I was all set to do my 2010 taxes, but I couldn't find the previous year's return and the online ID/password. I also wanted to see if the VA would accept me as a patient this year, but I couldn't find the criteria paperwork. Over the past several months I have been on a paperwork reduction campaign. I used to keep every receipt that was generated. Now I've streamlined my life --- sort of. I document transactions, reminders, retirement and VA analyses, etc. on the computer and saved the files to a flash drive, which I remove (safely) each night when I shut the thing down. All receipts, after they have been recorded, are pitched. Any receipts, pay stubs, or paperwork (old) that had account numbers or personal info gets burned. But it seems that every time I peek in a closet, more paperwork!

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We just received a flower arrangement from our neighbors, along with a condolence card. Earlier today Lois received a phone call from her best friend in high school, also a call of sympathy. It feels good to have people who care.