Well, a lot of time has passed since the last update, and Keiko is still very much with us. We see more evidence of bleeding, but she continues to act happy and healthy. I don’t know how much longer this will last. We’re enjoying it while it does!

Another month gone by, and Keiko is still with us. She’s nearly as active as ever and enjoying life approaching her 10th birthday, despite the cancer. This month threw us a small challenge in that we needed to travel to San Jose, California for a conference. Given the relatively fragile state of Keiko’s health, we wanted to spare her the stress of a stay at the kennel. She really likes the people at her normal place, but the kennel environment is pretty stressful for any dog and especially so for Keiko. So, my dad kindly agreed to take care of her for a few days next week. Kyle and I are trying to do all we can to make this easy for both Keiko and my dad, but it makes everybody nervous. Kyle has a refundable plane ticket, so he can go home on a moment’s notice if needed. It doesn’t take that long to get home from San Jose, either. Hopefully, all will go well.  

Things have been a bit hectic since I last posted …

The run of Once Upon a Mattress has come and gone. Overall, the production turned out much better than I had feared it might 2 weeks before we opened. Some long rehearsals in the final week and extra efforts by the entire cast and crew really helped us pull it off well in the end. Once again, I feel lucky to have been involved in a show with (mostly) good people and made more friends in the Salem theater world.

Shortly before the show closed, my dog Keiko was diagnosed with terminal cancer. So, dealing with that has taken a lot of time and energy. Fortunately, the vet prescribed some medication that seems to be helping with her inflamation and pain, and she continues to enjoy an active and seemingly happy life. We’re taking this opportunity to spoil her with special food treats and privileges we had revoked earlier in her life to deal with behavioral issues (e.g. sitting on the sofa, sleeping in the people’s bed, etc.), which is a lot of fun. I know that the less fun time is coming soon, so I’m just trying to enjoy the good times we have left as much as possible now. I really appreciate the support we’ve gotten from our friends and family recently.