Author: Steve Ainslie

When I was speaking to my friend Bruce a few days ago about making the decision to euthanize Snickers, he said, “Of course it’s an awful decision to have to make. It’s the end of an era. Snickers was with you through many really hard times in your life that most people never get close…

When I was walking Wiggles yesterday she had stopped to sniff around some bushes and a woman came up behind us and said to me, “Aww, so cute. Don’t you just love dogs?” I smiled and said, “Yes I do. More than most humans.” She smiled back and replied, “I was just about to say…

As I am grieving my loss of Snickers, I’ve tried to focus on the good memories of time spent with her that I cherish. I think about the many walks we took together as a family every night for 10 years before dinner with me, Ellen and Snickers. I think about our road trip together…

It’s only been two days since Snickers passed, but it feels like much longer. I hadn’t realized how much life she brought to it when she was here. After all, she had been a little old lady for years now. She did a lot of sleeping or lounging in the sun. Wiggles, my 3 year…

Once again, the price of groceries has gone up. Ground beef, which makes up 95% of my diet, has risen by nearly 50% since pre-Pandemic. Eggs are 200-300% more expensive and liver is up 20-30%. Of course the quality of all three has not risen.  I had a mild freak out today due when I…

Every once in a while I wonder if I should focus the next few years on making money – as in millions. After all, I’ve learned over that past few years that if I set my mind to something, I can usually figure it out.  By having a singular purpose, I made it through the…

The Writers Guild of America, who writes for TV, went on strike this week. They want higher pay, better benefits, more residuals and increased pay for streaming services. The “Industry” response has been that streaming has decimated profits and they cannot afford to meet the demands. I have no idea if this is true or…

Snickers, my 14 year old puppy, has been showing her age more every day. When we first adopted her in 2009, she was a runner. We thought she might have greyhound or whippet in her because she was lightning fast. She was so fast and full of energy, that after I walked her and my…

The day I decided to have Snickers euthanized, I called my mom and cried. The next day, I called my friend Craig and we spoke for nearly an hour. Today, one day before it is happening, I called Bruce. Each, in their own way, offered me reassurance that I was making a difficult choice that was…

People are quick to spend money when it’s not their own. Politicians top this list. Government bureaucrats follow them. Then come employees of big corporations and institutions. Pundits, nonprofits, and media have all kinds of grand ideas for “what we should do” about various problems. It always involves spending someone else’s money (euphemistically called “investing”). I remember…