It’s -8 degrees tonight, and it’s going to get a lot colder over the next week and beyond. The hard winter showed up early, I’m eager to take some photos.

The Mansion carriage ride was postponed until Spring, the refugee kids are coming today, and also next Wednesday to join in a New Year’s Pizza Celebration at the Mansion, funded by the Army of Good.

RISSE is putting together a girl’s basketball team – the girls were not interested in playing soccer with the boys but a small number are interested in a women’s basketball team, I hope to help them get their uniforms and support them in their new venture.

Ali will be coaching the team, details to come.

Regarding Gus, we have made some progress dealing with his Megaesophagus, a disease of the esophagus that makes it difficult for him to digest his food. One thing we have to do is hold him upright for five to ten minutes after he eats, and he and Maria have taken to this, he loves to sit in her lap or mine and get his stomach rubbed.

Gus is a grounded, agreeable and adaptable dog, it makes exploring this new disease simpler and hopefully, more effective. In the past four days, he’s regurgitated his food three times,  and some days not at all.

The fact that he is eliminating in a normal way tell us that the bulk of the food is going through the digestive tract. We’ll meet with Dr. Fariello, our vet, next week and see how things are going.

This is not a breeding or genetic issue, none of Gus’s siblings have it, nor do his parents. It just happens sometimes.