Clay is about to embark on a New York to Vancouver ride on a Vespa! follow him at this website…
June 30, 2009
June 21, 2009
Canine Viral Papillomas
There isn’t a lot of first hand information regarding the use of azithromycin to treat Canine Viral Papillomas so I wanted to pass this along.
My 10 month old Husky developed two distinct warts on the inside of her lips, obviously (and confirmed by the vet) canine papillomas.
After about two months with no change for the better I did some research and found a study (done in turkey) that stated their group of 17 dogs showed a 100% cure of the papillomas after 15 days following a 10 day course of azithromycin antibiotic.
I showed it to the vet, we calculated a dosage based on weight and she received a five ml dose once a day for 10 days. We saw no change as we gave it to her. Then, 22 days after we started, both papillomas fell off.
Would this have happened on its own without the azithromycin? Who knows, we didn’t have a control group. But, for those of you looking for a solution, I thought I would pass this along!
Good luck.
June 10, 2009
many years ago
Rite of Passage
It was one of those days, early spring, the weather had just turned warm the past weekend, and as usual, the annual “rite of passage via the vehicle” was taking place.
It seemed like every corner I turned resulted in some sort of intrusion and disruption in the usual quiet surroundings here in Livingston county. I first noticed it driving through the Pinckney Recreation Area, a lovely retreat of winding roads and overhanging trees, I rounded the curve just east of Hell (isn’t it fun to be able to write that and not get your hand slapped!), to encounter a roaring, neon blue, streak of light. Eventually a closer look exposed it as a low slung, plastic encased motorcycle, the driver dressed in matching leathers bent far over the handlebars, tilted at a 45 degree angle as he came through the sweeping curve. Mufflers modified to provide a sound congruent with the speed and the angle.
“Motorcycle season has begun.”, I said glumly to my wife, and thought to myself “Darn kid, why doesn’t he just keep the baffle in the darn muffler?”
It didn’t stop there. Later in the day, driving through Brighton, I was stopped at a light on Grand River and the car started to vibrate. I looked around, wondering what was thumping, and the better half said, “Guess there’s a lot of bass on that tape.”, knowing full well that there is very LITTLE bass in a James Taylor tape… I caught the smile on her face, as I reached to adjust the tone on the tape player, and realized that she knew the earth moving vibration was coming from 5 cars behind us in line where a 5 year old, dirty, Taurus shook with the power of a 300 watt subwoofer mounted in the trunk.
Later that same day, I found myself once again giving a disapproving glance to a couple of kids pulling out of a corner parking lot, one after another, obviously following each other. One of the cars was a 10 year old subcompact painted in red, white, and blue strips, the other car a very used foreign model (sporty in it’s day, but now just looking a bit old and dated). These too took off down Dexter-Pinckney road like it was a European road rally (although a a much slower pace, determined by the age of the engines in the cars).
Arriving home, about to settle in for the evening, I happened into the bedroom where, sitting on the dresser, is a small, homemade plaster replica of a VW Bug. Bright green covered with yellow spots… I picked it up and a smile came to my face as I thought about the car that inspired one of the kids to make it for me. Based on a photo of Dad, hair to his shoulders, standing beside a 12 year old, rusted, dented, green Bug with yellow spots the size of dinner plates all over it (and a makeshift peace symbol stuck on the side window).
Thoughts of the VW quickly lead me to remember the days that Dave Newhouse (now a respected OB/GYN in San Francisco) and I used to race from his house to mine, he in the MG-A that his father foolishly gave us access to, me in the Bug. Sliding around corners on dirt roads, emulating one those races that we would read about monthly in his dad’s copy of Road and Track.
The great thing about the Bug was that, mounted in the front, under the hood (should have been an engine there, but Volkswagen decided to amaze us all by putting it in the trunk) was the speaker that I had taken out of the old TV that hadn’t worked in years. Darn speaker was about 10 inches wide, sounded great when it was cranked up. Radio, of course (AM at that), no tape players in those days, no in-dash CD players. (I do remember the first time I road in a car with a dash mounted record player, carefully avoiding bumps which had a less than desirable effect on the quality of the music, unless you didn’t mind skipping from the first verse of the song to the final chords instantaneously!).
The final thought on this journey I took while sitting there holding the plaster Bug, was remembering the year I owned a 125cc Galera motorcycle. Made in Italy, it was one of the hottest things on the road in my small town. Sleek, black and chrome, and a sound that would melt your heart (if you happened to be about 17 years old and male). Some of the most pleasant memories I have were those of escaping from the world of homework, part-time jobs, and girls to ride along deserted country roads early in the morning on Sunday, leaning into the curves, thrilling to the sound from the muffler as it bounced off the trees lining the pavement.
You know, it isn’t the “sound” that those subwoofers make that bothers us when that young kid drives by us today in the 5 year old Taurus, it’s the intrusion of youth into our otherwise sedate middle age lives, and experiencing one more reminder that we just ain’t as young as we used to be.
I think the next time one of these intrusions rides, growls, flies, or vibrates past me, I’m gonna stick my hand out the window the classic hand gesture that we all understand, I’m gonna give ‘em a “thumbs up” sign, and flash a smile. Being seen in, on, or next to one of these wheeled intrusions is a true “rite of passage” in this culture, and heck, they only get to be young once.
© Robert W. Coller, 1998
May 23, 2009
May 22, 2009
You really need to look at this.
Here’s where we end up if we don’t start paying attention NOW
Swimming in Sewage
April 21, 2009
Five men to paddle in 465-mile Ultimate Hugh Heward Challenge from Detroit to Chicago Michigan Outdoors - MLive.com
I spent the evening with these folks at the Damn Site Inn…they had canoed from Belle Isle to Hell and were nearing the 4 mile portage from the Huron to the Grand… Maybe next year, eh?
April 18, 2009
April 9, 2009
National Lampoon Covers
For those of you old enough to remember…National Lampoon Covers
April 5, 2009
The Man From Earth Home
This is a very interesting movie…well worth your time. If you’re a netflix user, it’s free in the “instant watch” section…The Man From Earth Home
March 15, 2009
WATCHMEN Nite Owl Dark Roast Coffee
To, all my friends. I know I’ve mentioned the Organic Coffee Cartel once or twice in the pass, but I want to send another shout out to encourage you to check it out. Clay Enos is a fantastic photographer ( http://www.clayenos.com/ ), Clay is a good friend of my son Wes, and a great guy. Clay did the fantastic portrait book for Watchmen, and many of the photographic images used in the film.
For a while now Clay has been offering coffee through the OCC, most of the profits from the sale goes to charity. Flip through some of Clay’s photos at http://www.clayenos.com/placesthings/2.html to get a sense as to how he connects to the people he photographs, there is a deep sense of compassion.
I’ve tried a number of the coffees, they are, simply, very, very good, and the cans are a collector item. First of all, of course, check out Nite Owl dark roast, right out of Watchmen!
March 11, 2009
March 7, 2009
One of the best parts of Watchmen is the opening credits (and not just because you get to see Wes’ name)…
here you go… (and, sorry about the ad at the beginning….)
March 3, 2009
Watchmen Premiere
A few shots from the Watchmen Premier, Hollywood. No cameras allowed, these are from the cell phone…
March 1, 2009
Pasadena, Watchmen Premier
I’m out in Pasadena for the Premiere of Watchmen… these are photos from Zack Snyder’s Birthday lunch… good times!
February 24, 2009
Watchmen
Check out Clay Enos’ Watchmen coffee “Nite Owl”.. great coffee, and the OCC sends most of it’s money to charity!
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February 19, 2009
February 1, 2009
springsteen and the superbowl
In the past few months, springsteen has appeared at the Harley event, and at the Superbowl…
there is change happening!
Pete Seeger
I was able to see Pete Seeger last night at the Ann Arbor Folk Fest… It was a thrill to hear him sing “Bring ‘em Home’ . Here’s a recording of the song by Pete and some friends… the photos are from peace events I attended in Washington and Chicago..