word!

Our farm dog, Max has passed away. Max was a full breed black lab and lived a full life to a ripe old age. As he was ~15 at his passing, we don’t remember much about how he came into our farm; his true age or where we got him from. We assume we got him in 2004 or so and he probably was a free puppy from Brownton area where his dad visited his purebred mom after hours.

Max for surely spent his puppy time visiting Gustavus Adolphus college and wooing all the coeds. He also loved to tag along with Michael and the other dog we had at the time – Jake. As he grew, he would constantly chew on and try to fight Jake, who couldn’t care less. They were best of buddies but often would get in trouble by running together away from the farm. They always came back when they were hungry or thirsty.

As a black lab, Max loved the water and would often hang out in the water of the pond or a drainage ditch if it was nearby. He helped hunt his share rabbits and squirrels, but never really caught one. He loved going for truck rides and was always not more than 10 feet away when you were doing something on the farm. Michael brought Max into town a few times as he remodeled his house, but Max would whine and whine that he couldn’t be outside and roaming where he loved.

After Jake passed, Max was the top-dog on the farm and enjoyed that role. He later had to contend with a dog James got that wouldn’t let Max be the alpha. That dynamic led to fights that almost killed Max and left him with lasting ear damage.

To the end when he could hardly stand the heat, cold or old age, Max was a trooper and would always come around for a pat on the head and to be by you. He was a great dog that will be missed.

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened up my Jan 2009 copy of PC Magazine . I have been an avid reader of the magazine for some years now, and after reading an article they had published in response to change to eBay.com and it’s changes in fees and philosophy, I felt compelled to write back. Apparently, someone thought I made a good point and put it in the editorial section. I am pretty stoked about it.

It is kind of odd too, because that Jan 2009 edition of PC Magazine is the last print copy of the magazine. They are going totally digital after that edition. So, I guess it’s a milestone edition and I got published in it. Maybe it could be a collector’s item?

Read my submission:

I’ve lost my buddy. Jake was probably the best dog I ever had. He also was the dog I’ve had the longest as well. We debate for how long we had Jake, but it was roughly 10 years (getting him in 1998). He got him at a time when I previous dog ~ Spot had died. So there was a farm place without a dog. At that time we would go to Hutch Sales Barn to find deals on small poultry and knew they had at the time free kitten/ puppies to give away as well. We got Jake from a family that lived in New Auburn, but not much else for background/ information. We always had fun describing what breed Jake really was. We think it was Golden Lab/Golden Retriever with possibly German Shepard mixed in as well, but nothing for certain. His name was in reference to the song by Pirates Of The Mississippi – Feed Jake . Always thought after I heard that song, I’d wanna name my dog that. That song summed up much about my dog too.

Although he wasn’t a born hunter, he always loved to roam the farm, occasionally scaring up a rabbit or his specialty, squirrels. While they utterly fascinated him, he only caught one once and he didn’t hang onto it for long after. He spent more than a few hours treeing a squirrel and wondering in barks and yelps why they didn’t come down. He always loved going for a bike ride or walk and would always be checking things out a few hundred yards ahead at most times. He also loved car or truck rides, although with car rides, he usually jumped in and usually kicked out immediately.

He was a very loyal dog. He often knew the visitor to the farm before they set foot out of their ride. He had a special sense for guys and whether they were good or not.

In the last few years, Jake even learned to ‘shake’ his paw at his advanced age, no doubt being jealous of his companion Max (our Black Lab). Although Jake never loved to shake, he would do it on ocasion if it meant he would be getting a meal or a pat on the head.

Although we are not sure what ultimately happened to our friend, he did get loose on one of his occasional runs with Max and never came back. We can only assume the worst.

I think the following pictures capture his spirit best, that of a happy dog, enjoying the world around him. I’ll miss my buddy. Bye Jake.

As the wedding is a mere 7 months away, it seems to be all the rage to create a wedding website. This will be located at michaelpiotter.com/wedding which is currently just a page really, but will be fully functioning at least before May 9,2009.

Enjoy!

I have recently had the divine opportunity for smuggling of a little known product back from across the Mason-Dixon Line. It’s Cheerwine and it’s a nectar from the gods.

Well, maybe not. It’s a great soda (not pop mind you) that’s like a Cherry Pepsi and Dr. Pepper mixed.

How did I find out about this stuff? My sister had some when she was in Carolina and said it was okay, but having heard it hyped a few places, I needed to see what the deal was about this beverage. So I had the sister pick some up on a recent trip to the Carolinas. And I was not disappointed!

Now if I can find a constant supply/supplier, I can maintain my fix on this wine. Word is it’s available in Duluth, Bernicks from St. Cloud,Mn; and Iowa. I do get to these locales, just not often enough to actually scout out where Cheerwine may be sold.