The Fabulous B@ker Blog

Christmas Eve has come and gone, today Christmas 2017 cold and blustery with one kid asleep upstairs for the first time since he moved out in January, and one far away in Florida. Christmas came with an opening of gifts (we are calling this Christmas "Practical Christmas" because the nature of the gifts are things we needed - like an EZ-Pass and AAA). After lounging a bit, we were joined by our Shiao relatives for a delicious breakfast, and now, a relaxing day of hanging at home awaits. Every year I seem to experience a sense of dread as the year flies by and we are once again entering the holiday season. I think it's because I feel like the years are passing so quickly, the kids are getting older, we are losing loved ones to advanced age, and there is a true sense of our own mortality. Oh, how much time we had from an 18-year old's view. This has been a very disconcerting and unsettling year for me with the political landscape. I always though I was on the "...

When I think about the blog, I often think about how I started it right before we got Jasper in 2007. (For those keeping track at home the B@ker Blog is almost 11 years old.) So, it's a little sad to think that Jasper has aged right along with the blog, but he, sadly, is definitely in decline. He's had seizures approx. six times since the beginning of 2017, and it seems like every one take a little toll on him.  Additionally, he has arthritis and is plagued by small, twitchy muscle spasms. We have options to determine what is causing the seizures; we could do a cat scan (or in his case, a dog scan), but we've decided not to do that. If the test did determine he has epilepsy, we would have the option of medicating him, which is not ideal (the medicine would make him drowsy and dopey). If a cat scan revealed something more serious going on with his brain, like cancer, we would not do anything heroic for him at this stage of his life. As a result, we just enjoy every da...

I don't know what got into me...was it laziness? The winter blues? A certain type of sadness that takes you over when the kids are gone and it doesn't seem like there's much to write about? The routine of the day-in and the day-out that just goes too quickly and is generally pretty boring and mundane? Whatever is is (or was), I feel really, really guilty about not checking in with the blog for almost a year. So much has happened, most of it good (all of it pretty good, really). Since we last chatted: Annalisse On April 2 our prayers (and pleas!) were answered when Annalisse got the long awaited internship match with Russell Sage College (or Sage College, as the grad school is known), along with entry into the Nutrition grad program. Whew - I would rank that as one of the most stressful waiting periods in recent memory! Since that day we all continue to be super excited (and grateful) that she made it happen. It was three years of very hard work on her part, and coun...

Well, 2016, your time has come. Time to move on from a year with some great high points and what seemed like a lot of worrying with a couple of low points thrown in. We certainly did a lot this year: our first trip abroad, Cam graduated from college, moved to Maryland, then moved back. Annalisse took a trip to Italy and had a productive summer, as well as finishing her next to last term at SU.  But, I feel a general sense of malaise and apprehension going into 2017 with Trump at the helm. I think his election has affected a segment of Americans in a way we have never experienced before. Some are jubilant, others are filled with dread for the future. The contentious election and its result has pulled people apart more than ever before. We will have to wait and see how things go.  And 2016 - what a year for loss of famous figures, celebrities, and pop stars .  I usually make a list of goals for the new year, and they never seem to change. They usually revo...

We got out the little kiddie pool we bought when Jasper was a pup. He still doesn't like it...! 2007 Today

Another year has passed...28 years married (plus, remember: I want credit for the six years we dated...). It goes sooooo very fast! Yesterday, our anniversary, was very, very reminiscent of the actual day of our wedding. It also fell on a Saturday, and it was rainy. It was also a very busy day that started with a quick trip to Syracuse to deliver some mail, groceries and a visit with Jasper to his sister (or "sisser" as we like to call her). We got to A's place around 10am, unloaded the goods, and headed out for a walk where she had arranged for some of her friends to meet her most favorite person (dog) in the whole world. After a stop at one of the dorms, we headed up to the Quad (getting really warm out already...), and were greeted by tents, a bouncy house, tailgating and the wonderful, entertaining SU pep band playing on the steps of Hendricks Chapel. What a fun vibe the school had! It even made me want to go to a football game when we return to campus next weekend ...

Jasper turns eight today!  Our lives are so much richer with him as part of our family. He's certainly slowing down a lot, and has weird spasms that make us worry,  but we relish every day with him!! Enjoy your birthday ice cream, sweet boy!

Dr. Pessin called with the great news that Jasper did have a tumor, but it was benign...not a thing to worry about. He said it could happen again and to keep a look out for similar occurrences. We are MUCH relieved!! It's a good sign for 2015!

Happy 7th Birthday to our favorite family member, Jasper! He celebrated with an ice cream cone at Moonlight Creamery tonight.  Beloved by all, loving to all!

It's finally Saturday and the house is buzzing once again after a quiet week. Mark is home from Denver, Annalisse is home for spring break, and there is one happy dog bounding around the house. Big kid will be home for break next week. When Mark is gone to Denver for work and it's just me and puppy at home in the evening, it's pretty pathetic, boring stuff. Our after-work schedule goes a little something like this: Come home between 5-5:30pm Take Jasper down the street ("The world is his toilet.") Come home, catch up on all the important (celebrity!) news and blogs I read Figure out what I'm having for dinner (eggs and toast? pancakes? bagel? spaghetti and sauce?) Watch a little TV before taking puppy out again around 7 (Silver lining: I can walk him in my PJs because it has gotten dark so early - until now. Looks like I'll have to actually put jeans/real pants on with the daylight getting longer.) After a quick walk, head upstairs to my "ca...

That's what paws are for. Well, not really. The dog can't talk. But if he could he would say: I really miss my sissy and brother. It's so boring around here with Mom and Dad gone all day. Especially this week because Dad is also gone to Denver for work. So Mom and I just mostly hang around until it's time for my walk, then we go upstairs to her "mom-cave," turn on the heater, and watch TV until bedtime. Mom said it's going to be a lllloooonnngggg winter. Luckily brother and sister are home next week to keep me company.  I hear ya, pup, I hear ya. Long winter, indeed.

Silky ball of fluff. Home for two days. A very Happy 6th Birthday to our favorite family member, JASPER! He spent his day so far being annoyed that people kept putting a SpongeBob party hat on him, but his day will get better when we take him to Country Max to pick out a special treat. If the weather warms up a little we may also take him to Moonlight Creamery for a doggie sundae (on Sunday!). Also, in honor of his birthday, Annalisse, Nic and I are getting pedis today (Ok, not really. But I need to have cute feet for Florida). He has enriched our life in so many ways! "Why why why the party hat?"

Unlike the previously aforementioned (is that a word?) "Banner Tuesday," today is definitely a glorious Sunday. It's warm, breezy and we have not received the rain that was forecasted. After church it seemed like the perfect day to: Clean the bathroom (not really, but it needed to be done) Brush the dog Play catch with the dog Play hide and seek with the dog (wow that all sounds extremely cat[dog]-ladyish and pathetic) Make rice for the week (a staple in Annalisse's diet with her IBS issues) Catch up on last week's season premier of "Game of Thrones" Get psyched for the new season of "Mad Men" (WOOT WOOT!!) starting tonight at 9 Mark found out last week that he will be on a Rochester-based project for six months beginning the third week in April, which is awesome news. With all the work we're doing around the house this spring, along with all the activities associated with Annalisse's graduation, that will work out perfectly...

It has been an eventful week with nary a minute to spare to (or to blog). First things first: SENIOR PICTURES! Annalisse went for her senior picture shoot at Keepsake Photography last Friday and they came out awesome ! Jasper came along for the shoot and, after many attempts the photographer was able to get some really good pix of them together. Here's a link in case you want to take a look; I'm not sure how long they'll be available but they are really great!! Paying for them is a little like paying a small mortgage, but hey, what can you do? It's her senior picture. The other big thing this week was my trip to NYC for the NAGAP meeting. This was my second time in the Big Apple - you can read about my first time here . I will say again how fortunate I am to be part of this awesome group of innovative, smart colleagues and how lucky I am to be able to travel to great places with them. There is no way I could afford to go to these locations and stay in the desira...

Wet Dog Blues On Tuesday we were on the road to another college visit, this time to Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. We went on Tuesday afternoon to stay over for another college visit day which started at 8:30am on Wednesday. While gone, I asked my niece, Nicole, to look after Jasper. It seemed like a good idea - Nic's boyfriend, Patrick, had been bugging her to get a dog and what better experience than to take care of a really cute dog for a day or two? Poor Nic! As fate would have it she had the pleasure of taking Jasper out during pouring down rain (after a really strong thunderstorm) for a long walk during which he DID NOT POOP. She was so worried...should she keep walking? In the pouring rain? When she told Patrick they would have to pick up the eventual poop that would occur he was appalled: "I'm not picking up poop!" - Patrick's got a long way to go until he's ready for a puppy! Then, the next evening (we were expected home around 8:30 so N...

I'm heading out to Las Vegas for my quick trip this morning, returning on the red eye Friday night. 113 degrees? Yes, please. I've been communicating with Annalisse via text and she'll finally be home in two days. She is missed by all and Jasper, in particular, keeps checking her room just in case she returned when he wasn't looking (probably during one of his all-day naps). In LV I'll be another three time zones away from her...too far! Safe travels, Little Bird!

First Day Home Happy birthday yesterday to our golden boy on his fifth birthday. I can't believe he's five already, it seems like he just came to live with us yesterday... If you've been a long time B@ker Blog reader, you'll remember the heartbreaking story of Casey, our first golden who died by an overdose of chocolate in April 2007. Her sudden death really devastated us, probably more than we ever thought it could. At the time we said "no more dogs," but it soon became apparent that not having a dog left a huge void in our lives. After our search for another golden, which we admittedly were reluctant about because of our experience with Casey's destructive nature, we decided on Jasper and our experience could not have been more different. Submissive, cuddly, loving and non-destructive right from the start, he was, and continues to be the, the PERFECT DOG. We were so fortunate to be able to carry on after the loss of Casey with such a sweet boy. H...

Part Lion/Part Chicken Ever since he was a puppy Jasper has been afraid of going down the stairs. I don't recall a time when he was little that anything happened on the stairs (although he could have taken a tumble when I wasn't around), so I've always chalked it up to a depth perception issue, or possibly vertigo. Even though he was afraid of the stairs, with (a little to a lot of) coaxing he usually got up enough nerve to come down them. Until recently. For some reason, his fear of stairs has gotten worse. At our house the stairs are hardwood with no carpet, and he has slipped and stumbled his way down for a couple a years now. Lately, though, Mark has had to carry him down in the morning, an exercise I refer to as "Mark's 80 pound bench press." (By now you are asking yourself: Why do they let him upstairs?! The reason is that he's such a baby/chicken that when left alone downstairs at night he cries for hours and hours. Mark has slept on the cou...

Seriously, how could anyone, especially Santa, resist this face?

Look what we raked up. Finally, a weekend where we didn't have every moment planned, just the way a weekend should be. It all started on Friday night after I took Annalisse to work and Mark had an after-work gathering (from which he didn't get home until after 8pm). Can you say " laying on the couch wrapped in a fluffy blanket, watching TV with my pup by my side "?! Rare are these nights! Saturday was another winner, sleeping in and staying in my sweats all day, with just a brief jaunt to take Jasper to the field, followed by a nap (and finishing my book for tomorrow night's bookclub). Mark was off with Scott catching perch all day on Lake Ontario. Once he got home (Annalisse was once again at work) I decided to take a shower around 6pm to look presentable (a relative term) so we could go to Donnelly's for a burger. This morning, it was up for church then raking a gazillion leaves (and they're not all down yet) on what turned out to be an incredi...