On Friday night, Sophie finally passed the peach pit! I can't believe it took almost two months. We had stopped worrying long ago. Still, it is a relief.

Four years ago today, Mr. Wuj left us. It still miss him, and think of him on a daily basis. He would be 14 if he was living, and given his lifelong youthful looks and activity level, I thought he would easily live until age 14, so I'd still have him if that had been true.

I'm sick! I came down with what I thought were seasonal allergies on Wednesday, but at this point I think it is a mild cold. It isn't any surprise because the students are all coughing and sneezing up a storm. I'm really careful around them but I still must have caught something. It isn't the flu, I don't have a temperature and it only involves my nose and sinuses. We have 31 suspected cases of flu on campus so far, but none confirmed. RPI has 5 confirmed. Anyway, I hope I don't give it to Bob. He isn't concerned. I'm not coughing really so maybe if he does catch it, it won't impact his stomach at all.

Happy Birthday to me. 48 today.

9/11. Hard to believe it has been eight years. It seems like 20; at other times, it seems like 1.

Yesterday I was remembering that it was the 14th anniversary of Howie's death. Howzerdo. That was his nickname, and now it is my Internet identity. Because on the Internet, no-one knows you're a dog. Howie didn't know he was a dog. I've never had a dog that loved me so much. He was a one person dog, and didn't care much for other people.

September is a month of birthdays for me, also a month of sad anniversaries. Mimmie's birthday was 9/13. Mine is 9/18. Rudy's was 9/17, the day Don died. Rudy died in September, too. Mimmie's birthday is also the two year anniversary of the day I found Ande, who loves me almost as much as Howie did. But he likes other people too. And he's a cat.

Classes zip along. Again this semester, we have been asked to plan what we will do in the event classes have to be suspended because of the swine flu.

I'm in the second week of the semester and so far, my classes are going well. I am having one hassle with a book going out of print (I only found out in August, which left no time to find a replacement, and there really isn't anything great out there anyway). But I am hoping to resolve that soon.

We managed to go to Samsonville for Labor Day weekend, Bob's first trip since July 4. My biggest concern was Sam. He is a real handful and Bob always walked him. He can't do that now - or maybe ever again. But Sam-Sam was a real angel! The travel went so well that we are going to go down again this weekend. A company is coming to close the pool (which is freezing).

The following weekend we are having a yardsale, part of the Village-wide, here in Castleton. It is also my birthday.

I've been doing some pleasure reading; currently I am about halfway through Lucky by Alice Sebold.