Everybody Loves Herri

When Mackenzie was three (so thirteen years ago), we had finally settled into our own home here in Columbia, so it was time to get a dog. We went to the dog pound and I settled on a little cairn terrier, but I didn't want to make a quick decision. We left that day, and over the next several hours I got excited about that little guy, but the next morning he was gone. In his place a little black and gray lab-looking puppy, and he wound up being the one we took home.

I named him Herri, after James Herriott, one of my favorite authors. We often called him Herri-otter because he loved swimming in the lake at my parents house. He actually turned out to be an Aussie mix. He potty trained in a week, never whined at night in his crate, never barked, and stayed by my side when on the trail, and most all the time. My mom used to say, "He certainly is your dog." Although he certainly loved them, too, and being at the lake. Long story short, he was the world's best dog!

It became a saying in my family and among friends, "Everybody loves Herri." He was such a good dog. My Aunt Shelly still proclaims "He saved my life!", which while a stretch, is still a good story. On summer day, down at the lake, we were all on the dock, Herri included. Shelly went up to get something to drink, and all the sudden Herri streaked off the dock. Just as he got to the sidewalk, where Shelly was by then, the other dog was at her, too, apparently ready to attack. The other dog had come from a neighbors house, and had always been disliked by my family. Herri took a bloody bite to his ear, but he was fine, and Shelly lived.

I got the scare of my life when the guy I was seeing at the time tried to kill Herri. :) We still laugh about it, but we were lucky. Dave took Herri on a run with him (or vice versa) on a 90 degree day, and they ran on my subdivision roads. When they returned, Herri collapsed, foaming at the mouth, panting, the whites of his eyes blood red. I instinctively pulled him outside, and saturated him with cold water from the garden hose. As he cooled down, he seemed to be ok, but it took him a couple weeks to fully recover. My friend Kathleen didn't get so lucky, and lost her dog the same way last summer. She cried, and still feels aweful, at not knowing (then) that you can't run with a dog in the summer heat, especially on a hard surface. Since dogs don't sweat, panting is the only way they can cool themselves. With their nose close and down toward pavement, the heat radiating up is much more than we can comprehend. So I am now an expert on running with a dog in bitter cold, and in summer heat!

All these memories came about because a friend of mine lost his dog last week, unexpectedly. Howdy was only four-years-old, and my friend was devestated. As you talk to people, we are not alone in the loss we feel when a pet dies, and it becomes evident the special relationship and bond that can form. I remember watching Johnny Carson one night many years ago, and Jimmy Stewart was on and recited a poem about his dog, Beau. I Googled it the other day, and watched it, and once again, it made me cry (and laugh). It's worth the watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUNJjIwlHk8

Rest in peace, Howdy.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

My mom has always said "I experience everything my mother did, only 10 years early". I find myself thinking that more and more, only I say 20 years earlier!

Ask anyone who really knows me, and they will say I have a terrible memory. It's true, and I know it! The older I get, the worse it gets, and it's scary at times. I used to chalk it up to excessive partying in my younger days... and I still believe that has something to do with it. But since that's long past and there's nothing I can do to change it, I focus on the future. What can I do about it now?

There is a wealth of information on the relationship between exercise and cognition. The role glucose plays is very interesting, but that's a bit much for this arena. Taking it a step further and relating fitness to Alzheimer's, this sums it up (pardon the fact that the guy's from KU): "People with early Alzheimer's disease who were less physically fit had four times more brain shrinkage when compared to normal older adults than those who were more physically fit, suggesting less brain shrinkage related to the Alzheimer's disease process in those with higher fitness levels," said study author Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, of the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City and member of the American Academy of Neurology. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714162632.htm)

Just last week I saw on the news where another study concluded exercise can improve cognitive performance in older adults. Interestingly, it appeared to only impact women; it did not have the same effect on men. On that note, I went out and ran five miles. When I returned, I still had trouble understanding my first graders math homework! Ha... and that used to be my strong point. Running outside right now is not fun. And, seriously, are running and hard workouts ever really "fun"?! You usually feel great afterwards (if nothing more than for having done it), but during, it's hard work. One of my primary motivations for "just doing it" is keeping a healthy body AND mind.

If you are interested in reviewing the study (the Google found it for me), it can be found here: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/715642 ""The aerobic group exercised under the supervision of a fitness trainer at 75% to 85% of heart rate reserve for 45 to 60 minutes per day, 4 days per week for 6 months," the investigators note." Holy shcow, these people were in their 70's! If they can do it, so can you and I. Just do it!

You Were Once the Fastest

But not anymore...