TrivialBob

Today at the gastroenterologist, I nearly experienced a medical version of the Transcontinental Railroads meeting at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869.

This time, in 2026 St. Paul, MN, the doctor checked both east and west (or my top and bottom, depending on your perspective). I wondered how close the cameras could have been to meeting each other midway.

My primary care physician wanted my esophagus inspected because I've been using prescription Prilosec for a few years. Then, of course, I had my regularly (10-year plan, yay!) scheduled colonoscopy.

Doing both procedures in the same appointment under the same anesthesia saves time, eliminates an extra appointment, and reduces insurance charges and deductibles. Saving money is my love language.

The nurses were so nice. I told one I dislike needles. She was very careful inserting the IV catheter, and I hardly felt it go to into my hand.

I still said "ouch!"

After that I don't remember much. Like the last time I had anesthesia, I was told I'd be mildly sedated and somewhat conscious during a procedure.

"Okay, Bob, you're going to start to feel sleepy and..."

I was out before she finished her sentence. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz, just the way I prefer it. Had I remained awake I would have angrily snapped my fingers and demanded more sedation.

Some time later I woke up in a different room, quite groggy, feeling great. The doctor explained my results, which were excellent, to Sheila.

Oof, it hurts to just type that. I told him it was no problem, though, especially since his mother just ate part of a Jersey Mike's sub right in front of me.

I follow instructions. Sheila thinks it's funny that I use a measuring cup and set a 10-minute timer for each eight-ounce serving. I am a rule follower; when she had to do this, she guessed at the intervals and probably just chugged it straight from the big bottle.

I am eagerly awaiting stopping for lunch on the way home from the hospital tomorrow.

I always have questions about stuff. After changing into the clinic's garments, I noticed a three-foot-square hinged panel, several feet above the floor in the inner waiting room. When the tech came out to get me, I asked what it was for.

"Good question! It's a pressure relief door. If the machine has a rupture, there's a large release of helium. That door opens to relieve pressure in the room."

Cool. He then went over my screening form, which asked questions about metal, piercings, implanted devices, tattoos, and even if I'd had a recent colonoscopy. I actually have one scheduled for Wednesday. I asked what would have happened if I'd just undergone that procedure.

"We'd review the colonoscopy results to see if any clips were used on any found polyps. If so, we may have had to delay the MRI."

Fascinating. The tattoo question interested me too. I asked him if having tattoos prevents people from getting an MRI.

"If the tattoo was done recently, the MRI could affect the ink. Older tattoos are okay and don't stop someone from getting an MRI."

When I got onto the table, the technician routinely asked if I had any questions before he started. I laughed and said, "Not anymore." He chuckled. I think he liked my interest in the whole procedure.

When I got home, I thought of one question I had forgotten to ask. I had to remove my clothes, including underwear, and change into a provided gown and pants. There isn't any metal in my boxer briefs.

Yet, I was told I could leave on my socks. Why the exception for socks?

I went to the bakery. Oliver wasn't really on board with driving back to the cabin before opening that wax coated bag.

This is my favorite weather in the mornings when I'm at the cabin: sunny and 50s.

Last night I put a heavy quilt over the thin blanket we use in the summer. That quilt is just a few ounces short of feeling like an actual weighted blanket. I had unconscious sleep.

I swear, coffee tastes better than usual in these conditions. So did my ham, cheese, and grilled onion omelette the dogs wanted me to share with them.

Please don't worry about them though. Last night I joined a neighbor at her campfire, and she fed the dogs plenty of turkey. Their rib cages are not visible.

If I didn't have Ella, Oliver, and Sulley with me, I would have ridden my motorcycle up here. This weather lends itself very well to wearing my nice Aerostich riding suit.

The Facebook post was about Saturday's lunch special: an open-faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, a favorite of mine. I checked online and saw comments about dogs being welcome on the patio. When I got there, I left the dogs in the truck and went inside to make sure.

Setting the scene: there were zero people on the patio and one day-drinker inside sitting at the bar.

The waitress had resting bitch face. She grimaced when I asked about dogs on the patio. She said no, but told me I could sit at a picnic table in the yard beyond the patio. I looked outside. The picnic tables were kind of far from the patio. "Do you serve food out there?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. So, I politely said, "Don't worry about it. Thanks anyway," and turned to leave.

"Well, uh, hey, um..."

I kept walking.

Later, I selected a different bar and grill in a different city. That place was also my to-try list. The manager or owner there was quite nice and let me bring the dogs through the restaurant to the patio, which had no outside entrance.

It's a cash-only place. That was not a problem, though, with $7.50 mushroom Swiss burgers, $3 fries (huge portion), and $2 Busch Lights. Sulley, Oliver, and Ella split a plain hamburger ($6).

The guy working even came outside and sat with me for a little bit while the food was being prepared. He told me about the horses he has and his dogs while he was petting my dogs. ★★★★★

Today, while driving into the campground where our little cabin is, I saw two super adorable baby raccoons. They were just sitting next to each other on the edge of the road.

I slowed down to try to get a picture, but they scampered into the woods when I rolled down my window. Wow, they were adorable though.

Later in the day, I walked the dogs down to the river. Ella likes to swim. The river is shallow, she can walk around in places so I don't have to worry about her drifting away.

Oliver hates outdoor water; he much prefers a warm, soapy bath, preferably with nice-smelling soap. Sulley decided he'd rather bark at a little boy who was wading in the water. However, Sulley chickened out when the boy looked at him and refused go into the water.

After Ella's swim, we walked back up the sandy road to where the cabins are. At one point, I heard a rustle in the woods and figured it was a deer or perhaps another raccoon.

When I got back to the cabin, a neighbor drove up on his golf cart. I knew he had been not far behind me because I saw him over by the river too.

He said a black bear crossed the road right in front of him, just minutes after the dogs and I had walked by. He estimated that it weighed four or five hundred pounds.

We know they are in the area but I've never heard of any problems with them. We are careful not to leave out any food, scraps, or trash that could attract them.

At my first dental checkup after using the Sonicare for a few months, my regular hygienist remarked, "Wow, you've really been doing a good job brushing." She didn't spend much time scraping plaque that day.

Along with the new toothbrush, I also started brushing twice a day, every day. I know I should have been doing that all along, but I decided to take it seriously. I follow the Sonicare's two-minute timer so I don't rush through the process.

Flossing has never been an issue for me, because I always floss every day. I can't fathom how some people rarely or never use dental floss.

My checkup earlier this week was also excellent. The hygienist made the same comment about excellent brushing and again spent very little time scraping plaque.

My long-time dentist retired at the same time I did at the beginning of this year. He is about my age. I always liked the care he provided. Great guy.

It's interesting how the age differences change over the years. When I was a youth, doctors and nurses were much older than I was. In middle age, I saw doctors who were around the same age as me. Most nurses and technicians were my age, though younger ones started to appear.

We did some bar hopping and also went tubing on a river. The drop off point is close to our place, and the end point is too. It took us 2.25 hours to float 1.67 miles. I had to leave yesterday for a dentist appointment this morning. Sheila told me Jack and Ali went tubing a second time.

Jack and Ali brought their dogs. The cabin got a little crowded, but everyone got along. It helps having a deck for hanging out and eating.

We went into a nearby town to eat at a diner I've been wanting to try, simply because its name. The signs on the door might also make some think the people who run the place are... rude.

That couldn't have been further from the truth. Everyone was great, and so was the food. Jack's waffle and hot chicken sandwich was huge. He said it was good too.

A deer ran into the side of Jack's car one evening. Fortunately, there was no damage.

Jack and Ali are used to presenting ID when ordering drinks at bars. They live in a college town, so bartenders there tend to be pretty careful. Wisconsin, however, is a little different.

At one bar, Jack offered his ID. The bartender had figured out Sheila was his mother. "As long as you're with a parent, we don't care."

Pleasant evening in Wisconsin.

The dogs are inside, staring through the sliding glass door, because they dont care for fires.

Besides the crackling of the burning logs, we hear a huge chorus of bullfrogs and the faint sound of a band playing outside on a bar's patio.

Sulley and me at the cabin.

We've been neighbors for about 15 years. They host a fair number of family gatherings. Sometimes when I see a bunch of cars in the driveway, and one of them belongs to the mother of the wife, I mix myself a cocktail and walk over there.

About 10 years ago, K—the boys' grandmother and mom of my neighbor—gave me a standing invitation to come over to her daughter's house for drinks whenever K was visiting.

It all started when the family went on vacation. Sheila and I were taking care of their dog, April. They asked that we stop by several times a day to feed and let April outside in their fenced-in yard.

Well, that got old—walking back and forth several times a day. So Sheila and I brought April over to stay in our house all week. Our dogs got along with April, and she liked our self-serve doggy door.

Midweek, K texted me. "I am at the house. Where is April??"

April was sleeping on my living room floor, her head resting on my foot, when I replied to K: "Sheila and I figured April would be happier staying with us and our dogs instead of being home alone. (I didn't add that my laziness was also a factor.)

It's National Donut Day.

The dogs and I went to our favorite bakery in Minneapolis after visiting the airport dog park (where we didn't see any interesting planes). The dogs waited outside while I got donuts. When I came back, I could literally see drool on the ground.

The plain donuts I bought felt like they went from the fryer into the bag. The wax coating on the bag was melting. I broke one into pieces, but had to let them cool before the dogs could eat any. The blue frosting on a donut I got for Sheila melted too.

As I was paying for my donuts, two awful, feral, vulgar, filthy, obnoxious people—who, other than all that had nothing in common with each other— got into an argument inside the tiny store. He disparaged her for some transgression outside the bakery, while she screamed at him (I suspect 10 is the only volume she has for anything).

Tonight, Sheila and I and went to the brewery for pizza and, of course, beer. We saw a bunch of people we know and talked and talked and talked.

Now we're back home, sitting on the patio. Here you can see my bald head, little Sulley, and, if you squint, there's Ella sticking here nose out the doggy door. She wants to see what we're doing while also keeping her butt cool inside the house.

This is what our dogs look like when Sheila goes inside for something and I stay on the bench. From left to right is Sulley, Ella, Oliver, and Stella, all laser focused on where Sheila went.

This is what it looks like when I go inside, and Sheila remains sitting on a patio bench:

First, the golf cart is working wonderfully. The single lithium battery (which replaced four very heavy lead acid ones) holds a charge really well.

Second, we'd had a problem with the air conditioner from last fall, after someone (not Sheila or me) installed a new wi-fi digital thermostat. An ambulance co-worker of Sheila's also owns an HVAC company, and he has an RV parked a few miles from us every summer.

It took him a couple of hours to figure out the wiring, but he got it fixed. The first night there, I sweated, the dogs panted, and fans pushed air around. The rest of the time we chilled in comfort. Oh, and he absolutely would not let me pay him for his time, no matter how much I insisted. Sheila and I will find a way to make it up to him. He expressed interest in inner tubing with us on the nearby river. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants we can try too.

A neighbor up there wanted the lumber from our old deck, from when Sheila and I had a travel trailer parked somewhere else. We had to remove the deck when we sold that trailer. He and another neighbor assembled a deck at his trailer over the weekend using that lumber. I was late and didn't help, but they still invited the dogs and me to come over for dinner.

I was equally excited by all the nice, cordless tool and the tantalizing assortment of grilled meats.

After dinner, we sat around and enjoyed some gin and tonics. A few of us have the Merlin Bird ID app on our phones. It's pretty fun. We heard owls in the distance, and the app identified them as Barred Owls.

One of the guys played the app's owl call over a Bluetooth speaker. It sounded like owls were hooting on the deck right next to us.

Within a few minutes, the real owls we'd heard in the distance flew in and hung out in the pine trees above, check us out. Beautiful birds, especially when they spread their wings and flew around.

I'm excited about the key rack and keychain labels I put together. We have keys for so many different doors, cabinets, bike locks, padlocks and the golf cart that I had to do something to keep them organized.

The funny thing is, up there hardly anyone locks anything unless they're going to be gone for a long time.