A Sense of Doubt blog post #4168 - Letter to Dad #44 - Satchel turns 14 Tomorrow!

Satchel Marina walk 2607.17

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4168 - Letter to Dad #44 - Satchel turns 14 Tomorrow!

LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.

BLOG VACATION #1 - 2026 - Taking a blog vacation for a couple of weeks, until at least June 26th, 2026. But now that it's past June 26, I am not sure when I am resuming normal operations. Mostly reprints. A few simple shares (not that simple shares are out of the norm) and THAT ONE THING. Need time for other things.

Hi Dad, 

Satchel's 14th birthday is tomorrow.

Today's days since you died is an anagram number = 686.

I like it.

The same updates I shared with Lori...

SATCHEL

So, she has an enlarged heart as I texted. Dr. Allen felt that it was pressing on her respiratory system, but she did not think it was congestive heart failure. The radiographer then reviewed the scans (a specialist who knows more than our doc) and they confirmed the enlarged heart and heart failure is probable maybe even likely but they could not definitively diagnosis it.

Still, we put her on a diuretic, an antibiotic, and a heart medication. The antibiotic is to treat a possible infection as she may have chronic bronchitis/pneumonia only or in addition to congestive heart failure.

I felt her cough was less frequent and less severe when she started the meds but now it’s back and sounds wetter.

Her respirations at rest before we started all this were 44/minute, which is basically DANGER and take her to the ER. After a couple of days on the meds, they dropped to 28, which is safe and even 20 in one count I did.

I had already been limiting Satchel’s walk and carrying her upstairs some of the time. Now, I am trying to keep her off the hill as even our regular walk has a hill that really takes a lot out of her. The vet said keep her on flat ground, so I took her to the marina Friday, which is all flat, and we did a short walk there. Then yesterday, Ellory, Essel, and I did the long walk, which is a little over 3 miles.

The Boo is still with us, and I am grateful for every minute. She could live up to two years or more with this. She could have a heart attack tomorrow. For now, the medication is helping, and so she’s okay.

I always knew the life expectancy and she would not live forever. But this is hard.

SCHOOL STUFF

I am trying to fight a truly unreasonable policy that has permanently dropped my grade in the research course to a B with no hope of getting back to the A, which will ruin my 4.0.

I had invested enormous self esteem and self worth in that GPA, so this is very crushing.

I forgot to attach some articles to an assignment because I was so upset about Satchel and the note I made to remind me got misplaced with vet paper work.

I would be willing to accept a penalty and a low grade on the assignment. But the teacher enforced a policy listed on the assignment page to award zero of 150 pts to any student who forgets the articles. Now, understand that attaching articles is not something we normally do. This is only the second time I had to do such a thing in the two years of classes and the first time was earlier in this class. That time, I also forgot and the teacher reminded me before giving me a bad grade. Why she didn’t ask me to attach them this time when she saw I forgot is beyond me. I would NEVER treat a student this way. But then I would not have a policy like this.

The teacher is claiming that she “cannot” change my grade and is “not allowed,” which we both know is not true.

So I complained to the Dean. I may not win but it’s worth having the discussion. Awarding zero is not supported by the rubric. To have a policy like this, it must be dictated in the rubric. She should just -40, which would be supported by the rubric.

I am sick about this.

But then, it’s hardly the end of the world. I am just REALLY disappointed in myself. These are my last academic classes. To maintain a 4.0 up until nearly the end and have it tanked by this draconian policy is more than I can stomach. If I do win, I hope my fight helps others.

So maybe I end up with a 3.97 or something.

I will have a course with my internship but it’s just a support class, not academic studies.

I am getting interested in nature-based therapy, use of pets in therapy, and grief counseling.

 

JOB OUTLOOK

I was worried that I would need to take the NCE (National Counseling Exam) right after finishing my program to get licensed. But I just learned that lots of people have not taken the NCE, including my therapist. I can work as an LMHCA, Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate, for which all I need is my Masters degree, no test. So lots of people work as that.

I also learned that I have to work as counselor for a minimum of three years and accumulate 3000 hours in the profession and 1200 direct contact hours before I can get licensed. I can take the NCE any time but I cannot become a LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor).

I don’t want to wait three years to take it. I don’t want to wait even longer. But the pressure to study has been somewhat alleviated.

OTHER

I am getting some writing done, not as much as I would like.

I just finished the second Rebecca Yarros “romantasy” with dragons, which was REALLY good. 

Reading other books for my list with Dave, which is stalled now that he’s back in Australia and has a daughter in crisis.

Piper turned 31 and we had a great dinner in Portland, which is normal, as all the restaurants are pretty great.

Love, christopher

RECENT PHOTOS OF THE DOGS

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2607.16 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 4032 days ago & DAD = 686 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.