The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

Suffice it to say, 2025 is not off to a great start.

Since returning home from our Christmas holidays, we’ve had to replace the hot water tank and say goodbye to one of our dogs.

We got home on Jan. 2 and found a small amount of water on the floor; the hot water tank had developed a slow leak, which had slowly been getting worse for several weeks. We had been getting water on the floor in our downstairs bathroom, and had no idea where it was coming from. We thought it was the toilet or the sink leaking; however, since replacing the tank that problem has also been solved.

On Jan. 3, we picked the dogs up from their home away from home. By all accounts they did okay while we were away, with Rolo, our 14-year-old lab husky having one bad day.

Rolo had been having problems with his back hips for around a year, and the decline in him over the last three months has been absolutely shocking. We’ve had him on meds, including a monthly shot, to help him with pain. I gave him his shot after we got him home on Friday. Saturday was a rough day for the poor boy, and Sunday he was really struggling.

Sunday night, Rolo collapsed at his food dish after letting out a howl that I don’t think I will ever get out of my head. Fortunately, the vet was available; she came, and we said our final goodbye. It’s hard to believe that was already over a week ago.

I miss my boy; Rolo was definitely my dog. He gravitated towards me since he came to live with us after my sister-in-law’s untimely passing. He’d even snuggle up with me on the couch. He’s definitely leaving a hole in my heart.

Pets never live long enough. I will always remember him.

Otherwise, Lynn is also dealing with some botched dental work, so costs are definitely adding up to start the year, but what can you do? You have to deal with it, and we are in the process of doing so.

Work has been keeping me busy, with a never-ending stream of things going on, which I am grateful for.

I ended up extending my current course a final time; I now have to have this course finished by the end of March. At the pace I am going that should not be a problem, despite starting it from the beginning again at the end of November.

I realized that trying to do everything digitally, including note-taking, wasn’t working for me. I have gone back to good old-fashioned paper and pen note-taking, and my recall has improved drastically. I am now two-thirds the way through the course, with two modules left, setting myself up for success.

Post-Christmas, I have struggled to get back into my fitness regime, but it will come. I’ve been down a bunch of weight since I started this journey, and I am feeling better about it. I’m sub-240s for the first time in over a decade, with my goal to get down to sub-220, which the nutritionist and my doctor both feel is a realistic goal for my body type.

K.