IT ALL BEGAN ONE YEAR AGO
It has only been one year. The national emergency was declared due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 13, 2020. This opened the door to allow federal help. For a while, everything took the sinks. First the folks began hoarding things like toilet paper. I can still see those empty rows in grocery stores.
 
Businesses started closing. We began wearing masks. Many employees were furloughed. While a lot of the morning news seemed to repeat itself, there was always something new for me to digest.

We began learning about how to exist in our new virtual world. Many people began working from home. One of our close neighbors has been working out of her new home office for months. Sometimes I am amazed at the number of missing cars on the streets during normal traffic times.

Almost every business has made adjustments to allow folks to remain safe and healthy while continuing to provide services. When Stuart (our dog) needs to visit the veterinarian or the groomer, the staff comes out and meets us at our car. Stuart goes in with them. I stay in the car.

Restaurants blocked off tables so proper space was maintained at all times due to capacity restrictions. There was never anything on the table when we would sit down. Salt and pepper would be issued in small packages when the meal was served. 

Schools have been really struggling. Some school systems had to make drastic changes to compensate for sick employees. An example would be with school bus drivers. If a school system had twice as many regular drivers sick as they had substitute drivers, that would be a terrible dilemma. That was happening quite often.

Many school employees like teachers and bus drivers must be licensed by the state. Very few licensed school bus drivers have been sitting home with no job if they really wanted one.  So, with lots of absent students, home learning, and sick drivers many changes had to be made.
School teachers and school staff now have the ability to get their shots starting this week. I’m hoping that will make a big difference.

A few times each week, I need to go to a grocery store or other local businesses. At least half of the time, I get almost to the door of the business before my mind yells at me that I don’t have my mask. I’m amazed at the number of people that I pass during that walk back to the car and the return walk to the store that nod and smile at me.

I was with my son a couple of weeks ago and he needed to visit a Walmart to get something done to his cellphone. I decided to wait in the car. I found a parking space near one of the doors and backed into it. It was amazing to see how many folks are also afflicted with the “Whoops No Mask” disease.
My wife, Lyn, has continued doing volunteering work at Anna’s House. It is a Lord’s Pantry located just a bit northwest of the Indianapolis Zoo. She has helped there for years. As you might imagine, they have been extremely busy.

We have had both of our Covid shots now. Neither Lyn or myself had any after-effects from those shots. I’ve talked with staff members at the nursing homes that Stuart and I visit. We have been informed that we might be able to start visiting again soon.

I’m in touch with several of my high school classmates. We have been comparing results and any after effects from those shots.

Indianapolis is the center of the college basketball world this month. Lots of people have been helping to clean up everything.  Restaurants and bars can seat more people now and don’t have to close as early.
Last week, I had the opportunity to have a lunch with some classmates and later that day, Lyn and I went to dinner. Two different restaurants in the same day. In both cases, I was so excited. They both now offer real salt and pepper shakers.
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I really hope that things continue to get better. Let’s keep trying to stay safe and enjoy  friends and family.

For the last couple of weeks, many of my favorite humans have been saying, “Happy New Year” to each other; sort of like me and my friends barking.

My name is Stuart Shonk. I am a registered therapy dog and teamed with my human dad, Fred. I’ve written articles in the past until my special keyboard that allows me to type using my paws was broken at Ritter’s when my frozen custard arrived one day. I was so excited, and I knocked it to the floor. I ordered a new one online a couple of years ago, but it was stolen from our front porch by a couple of roaming dogs.

But now, I have a new keyboard, so I can bring you up to date on some of the things I do with humans.
I’m 15 years old and have been doing our therapy visits for over 11 years at Manor Care and Madison Health Care on Tuesdays and at Beech Grove Central Elementary and South Grove Intermediate schools on Thursdays.

I love going to the health care facilities because we have many friends there among residents, their families and friends and staff.

Students at the schools see us and they always bring books to sit and read to me. I am lucky to have such kind young friends. I just don’t like their fall and winter breaks because the schools are closed, and they can’t read to me.

I’ve also been busy helping and providing therapy for my human mom, Lyn. I’m sure lots of you readers know about her getting hurt last July. Her therapy has been a long process, but I’m happy to see her getting better. I’m able to comfort her because we sit together a lot.

A few days before Christmas, I had a big surprise. My human sister, Michelle, and her husband, Ben, stopped by. My sister handed my human dad a package. He unwrapped it, opened it, but then I heard my name mentioned a lot.

None of them were paying attention to me because they kept looking at a new book they took from the unwrapped package.

I soon learned that the hard cover book with illustrations was a fictitious story about a dog named Stuart and his human dad, Fred. The book is titled, “Stuart’s Adventures in Petlandia.”

I’ve had it read to me a few times and now I fully understand the word, fiction. In the book, Stuart jumps from an airplane while it is flying over Indianapolis on a return trip from California. I have never jumped from any moving vehicle, especially an airplane.

With the arrival of the New Year, my human dad, Fred, is setting up times when he can read the book to groups at the health care centers and schools that we visit.
We hope to visit you soon.
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Happy New Year!!

It seems to me that Veterans Day is becoming a more celebrated day in the last few years. I noticed several television commercials and print advertisements offering Veterans Day deals, particularly restaurants with discounts and free items for veterans.

Veterans Day is Nov. 11, the date in 1911 of the end of World War I. The official end of the war was signed by President Woodrow at exactly 11:00 a.m. So, the month, day and time are 11-11-11 – very special.

Many of my friends and high school classmates either joined or were drafted into military service, mostly around the time of the Vietnam war. My military service came from my enlistment in the Indiana National Guard. My signing date was to have been Nov. 22, 1963, but it was delayed due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on that date.

The six years I served in the Indiana National Guard were very good. I was assigned to a unit responsible for the care and maintenance of all the military aircraft of the Indiana National Guard. I made several new friends and was honored to serve with several guys that I grew up with or who were schoolmates.

This year, I attended the Veterans Day program at South Grove Intermediate School in Beech Grove. For about 12 years, I drove a school bus for Beech Grove City Schools and one of my routes was with South Grove students. Also, Stuart and I do a weekly reading program at two Beech Grove schools and South Grove is one of them. We have been a part of that program for several years.

Stuart did not accompany me to South Grove for the Veterans Day program, but I told him afterward about the very special program that I attended.

Several students took part in the program. The 5th Veterans Day choir performed several special songs, including “Hooray for the USA” and “America the Beautiful.” Teachers Kelly Agee and Beth Walker led the singing of ‘God Bless America.” Walker also sang The National Anthem. Beech Grove High School student Seth Rumler played “Taps.” Some students read narratives poems. Boy Scout Troop 108 presented the American flag and closed the ceremony. South Grove teachers and retired veterans Tamara Truman (SSG, retired) and Melinda Case (SPC) were the guest speakers.

At one point of the program, veterans were asked to stand and be recognized. I was proud to stand for the U.S. Army and the Indiana National Guard along with many veterans at the ceremony. Afterward, we were asked to stand in the hallway so that the South Grove students could shake our hands or give us a high five. Many of the students asked me, “Where is Stuart?”

It was also an honor for Stuart that they asked about him.

The last few months have been filled with peaks and valleys.

On July Fourth, my wife, Lyn, injured her leg and hip while on a mission trip in Ecuador. She is scheduled for knee surgery on Nov. 19, and I am sure she will have several weeks of recovery and physical therapy. She has had her peaks and valleys but has endured.

Also, we have had most of the inside walls and ceilings painted in our house with lots of stuff taken down and put back up. There are some electrical projects and a need for a new hot-water heater. We celebrate when projects, big or small, are finished.

After Lyn returned from Ecuador, I continued doing the chores for our nine chicken girls which seemed to confuse them. Thankfully, she now shows up riding an electric scooter. Three chickens, Ameraucana breed, were adopted in March. They are multi-colored and very beautiful. In the last few weeks, they have matured and started laying eggs with some producing light blue eggs instead of the normal light green eggs. The other chicken girls lay brown eggs, so my thought is that next Easter, I won’t have to color any eggs.

Our therapy dog, Stuart had his 15th birthday in September. His 15 years figure to be around 100 years in “dog years.” For a couple of years, he’s taken a few more naps daily. If either Lyn or me begin to take an afternoon nap, Stuart does his best version of a “high five” as he joins us. He seems to know when Lyn is hurting and is trying his best to make her feel better.

Oh, we are working on a new schedule due to the end of Daylight Savings time. Stuart keeps asking for his dinner on that schedule, but we are adjusting.

Stuart continues to be very busy. We continue to visit two nursing homes on Tuesday mornings. We have gained many friends who are residents and we enjoy meeting members of their families and the tremendous staff workers at both locations. Thursdays are big days for us. We visit two elementary schools in Beech Grove. Stuart loves it when the students arrive in the room and read stories to him.

Last week, my high school class, Southport High School Class of 1960, lost another member, Robert (Bob) Hohn. We did not attend the same grade school but had known each other for 65 years.

I was able to visit the funeral home Friday and visited with Bob’s widow, Linda, and one of his daughters. It was heartening to see quite a few of our classmates present, too. The Class of 1960 is so awesome.
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Bob often attended our monthly class breakfast Wednesday, so we were able to tell members who had not heard of his passing Monday. During the visitation Friday, Bob’s daughter assured us that she would attend one of our future breakfasts to hear some great “Bob Hohn” stories.