The Johnson Blog

Ramblings of a geek with a few hobbies…

  • Neo

    This past Tuesday (January 20), we had to have one of our cats put to sleep.  Neo has had a past of developing crystals in his bladder and blocking him up, and last week was just too much for him to handle.  We had several trips to the vet and emergency vet (the “nights and weekends” vet), with a couple of procedures done to offer some relief, but in the end they were just not sufficient.

    Ana got Neo from “kitty juvy” (the humane society behind the youth correctional center in Springfield) when she got out of college, and was a great companion since.  He had some bipolar tendencies, but he really loved Ana, myself, Dozer, and David.

    I’ve never had to have a pet euthanized; I found it incredibly difficult when I had to actually say the words of permission to the vet.  I’ll never forget that or the last 30 minutes of his life.

    Neo, thank you for everything.  You’ll always have a place in our hearts.

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  • What a difference a month makes

    A.k.a. Walker II:

    http://www.motionbox.com/external/hd_player/type=hd,video_uid=0a99dcbe1116eac287

  • Cat Nose

    Neo’s nose, courtesy of my new Canon 100mm macro.

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  • Yawn

    Not much going on, just thought I’d say Hi.

  • Hello Winter

    Today is officially the first day of Winter, and what an introduction.   Springfield was reportedly at 1 degree, with a windchill of near -20F.  That just hurts.

    I passed the lake a couple of times today and finally decided to take a few pictures of it.

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    Brrr!

  • 1st Birthday

    Here are a few Gems from David’s Birthday:

    And he was very adamant about making sure Mom got some of the cupcake too.  God knows he didn’t get that from me!

  • Hippo Hooks

    The Hippo is up on the wall and holding up David’s coats!

  • One Year

    Today was David’s first birthday!  As has been the monthly ritual, I got the camera equipment out and took a few photos.  (More photos in the gallery)

     

    In one sense it’s incredible that it has been a year since he was born; but in another it feels like he has been with us all along, and we’ve experienced so much:  turning his head to our voices; reaching for toys; rolling over; giggling; trying to crawl; crawling; picking out his favorite books; snuggling up for reading time; trying to walk; walking; and on and on.  

    His smile is infectious, his laugh even moreso.  And I could sit for hours just watching him concentrating and learning about the world around him. 

    Tonight he received a set of small toy trucks from my parents and he sat and ran the trucks over every surface he could find, making little engine noises.  He also received a toy filled with gears, which he occupied himself with by spinning and tinkering – I couldn’t help but just step back and smile; that’s my boy.

     

  • Lights are Up

    It was cold and a bit windy, but I was able to get the Christmas lights put up this afternoon.

  • Christmas Tree

    Last night Jay and Katherine came over for dinner, followed by a trip to Lowes to each get our Christmas trees. Their selection was pretty dismal, and Ana and I eventually bought the very first one we look at. Go figure.

    So today we got the tree put up, and boy does David enjoy it.

     

     

    These pictures took some experimenting to get, my first attempts at using the flash and keeping the backgound as close to its natural luminence.  Not too bad, I’m sure I’ll be getting alot more practice with as much as David likes the tree 🙂