We lost one of our past firefighters this month, and a present long-time member is fighting a deadly disease.

Joe Meyer was one of my trainees when I was an Albion Fire Department instructor, and he remained a member for ten years, alongside his brother.


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I spent a lot of time in medical facilities, usually as a visitor, occasionally as a patient. And yet--this will come as a surprise to my fourteen regular readers--I've never had an MRI. Until a few years ago ( Read more... )

I want to start out by saying I do not have cancer, and this story actually happened some time ago. So not to worry ( Read more... )

Now that I've finished the final draft of my new novel and handed it over to Emily to edit, I had to go back and figure out why I started working on it in the first place.

Ordinarily, when I finish writing a novel I like to have it finished--as good and polished as I can get it, before I move on to a new project. I also want to have it in ( Read more... )

 It was a hot day when Jeff Hunter's family and friends gathered to have a meal and remember him last Sunday. I think Jeff would have appreciated that--like his brother (me), he hated the cold. Jeff passed away on January 30th, and if I recall correctly, there was a snowstorm coming in at the time, so it was quite a difference.


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 Today, February 5th, is my brother Jeff's birthday.

Almost a week ago, last Saturday, is the day he died.

Emily and I had stopped by to visit with him and his wife Cathy that evening. He's been undergoing treatment for lung cancer and other problems for years, and a couple of months ago had been given two weeks to live--but more recently he ( Read more... )

I wrote this a few days ago, about how this is the time of year when people with Seasonal Affected Disorder start having trouble with the shorter, colder days ... people like me. I usually shorten the whole description down to "winter sucks" even though it's not even meteorological winter for another month.

Then I was going to add that a sure way to ( Read more... )

Izzy was ten. She spent fully half of her young life battling cancer, and once we really thought she'd beaten it. But cancer is stubborn, and insidious, and it really, really likes killing people.


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We just this afternoon (and after I sent my newsletter out) confirmed mom's memorial service, which will be at 11 a.m. Friday (with an hour's visitation before) at the Albion Wesleyan Church. Here's her obituary:

https://www.harperfuneralhomes.com/notices/Linda-Taylor

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Sometimes ( Read more... )

See, I have this brother, and he hates to have his picture taken, so whenever he sees a camera he makes one of those faces, like if you were watching one of the Three Stooges being strangled by the other two. The only way to get a decent photo of him is with a sneak attack.

Luckily that suits my style of photography, which is to keep taking pictures ( Read more... )