Buggsy Amundson - 2011-2023

Buggsy watching birds . . . 

Buggsy “Shamus O’Drool” Amundson died on 12/31/23 after a tumor was discovered and it was learned he was suffering from severe internal bleeding. Also known as Bugger, Chubbs, Chubbers, Buggsy Boy, Tubbers and Buggsy Bear, he was a courageous and fearless dog up until the end.

Buggsy, who spent his first two-plus years in an animal shelter in Georgia, arrived at his forever home on March 25, 2013. Eric’s daughter, Erin, found Buggsy when the family visited the St. Paul Humane Society. Erin said, “What about this fella?” and with that, Buggsy joined the family. At first, Buggsy was a momma’s boy and stuck to Cheri’s side. That quickly changed once Eric introduced Buggsy to the concept of ice cream cones, long walks around Lake Phalen, and rides that sometimes included chili dogs and other tasty treats.

The first few years were a bit bumpy as Buggsy was a rambler. He would jump the fence or find a hole in it and wander around the neighborhood. He visited the Johnson High School girls’ locker room, went for long runs with strangers and was even dropped off in front of the house once after jumping in the car several blocks (and miles) away.

Soon, however, a pattern emerged where Buggsy would spend time just down the block with his Husky friend, Duke, and his owner, Sharon. Every day, “Auntie Sharon” would call to ask, “Can Buggsy come out to play?” It was a phone call that Buggsy greatly anticipated. Eric would open the back gate and Buggsy would run down the alley to greet Sharon and Duke where he would spend several hours watching cars, digging holes and doing what dogs do – hanging out and woofing.

Buggsy with his best buddy, Cocoa.

Tragedy struck when a fire took Sharon and Duke and it greatly saddened Buggsy. He did not understand where his friends went and why he didn’t get to play with them anymore. Luckily, a new friend, Cocoa, moved in next door a few months later and the two became quick friends and eventually would become brother and sister.

Moving to Wisconsin in 2016 meant big changes for Buggsy – he no longer had a fenced-in yard the size of a postage stamp but rather several acres where he and Cocoa could dig to their heart’s content. With an occasional wild animal (or turkey) to chase, the two managed to make things lively at their new home. With the move came longer rides in the Buggsy-mobile or, eventually, in the truck that Buggsy just loved – The Grizz.

The move also brought a few new girls into Buggsy’s life – neighbor dog Tessa, who was his nemesis, and neighbor dog Munchie, who was Buggsy’s steady girlfriend from day one. Munchie and Buggsy would chase each other and bite each other’s ears . . . They truly loved one another.

A new location meant different kinds of walks and different kinds of rides – but ice cream cones and chili dogs were still a big favorite for Buggsy. Other favorites for Bugger included listening to the Scorpions – his favorite song was “Still Loving You” and guarding chewies from Munchie and Cocoa. Truth be told, he would also go on morning walkabouts to Tessa’s where he would steal a chewie from her – just so she would bark at him as he walked away.

He loved to play tug – not fetch. He wanted you to grab that ball and try and take it. It was fun to have one person tug the ball and the other tickle Buggsy to make him “growl” and act fierce. Another antic by Buggsy was being sheriff as he would make sure the other dogs behaved. In addition to being the sheriff, Buggs was also a therapy dog and would comfort Eric whenever he was needed. Buggsy knew how to nudge Eric just right so he could get a belly rub or a scruff and help put things into perspective.

Buggsy was preceded in death earlier this year by cat brother, Oscar “Little Bastard” Johnson. He is survived by his parents, Eric and Cheri, who are lost without having their trusty canine by their side; his dog sister, Cocoa, and cat sisters, Lillian and Lucy. Lucy will especially miss chasing “Grandpa Buggs’” tail in the evenings. 

Buggsy - Circa 2015

Eric & Buggsy - best buds!

Buggsy & Cocoa - circa 2020

The Three Muskadogs - Cocoa, Munchie & Buggsy

Home Projects - Part 3

When I last wrote about the home projects that my dear husband and I are undertaking, I believe we were only at the egress window and refrigerator stage. Oh, and we were about to start the second story deck.

Much has happened since then! What with school and Chilimania, I haven't had much time to think about writing.

That said, in the weeks since my last post, we have put up two ceiling fans with one more to go; installed a dining room light fixture; put in a new screen door; put up the second floor deck; painted half of the basement floor; painted the office (almost done!); and had solar panels installed.

I should add that by we, I mean Eric as the project manager. I quite honestly have had it easy as I go to work and come home to see a newly completed project. I love my husband!

Additionally we just purchased a new couch (comes today) and painted the first floor deck. 

WHEW! Okay, breathe. . . .

So here are some pics! 

The deck!

The solar panels!

The new front screen door.

One of the new ceiling fans....

And, the newly painted deck.

Much more to come! Stay tuned!!!

Home Projects - Part 2

Work continues on the home and we are seeing forward progress! The egress window was successfully installed and boy, does it make a difference. The light it lets in is wonderful and (when it's not 90+F outside) it's great to open the window and get some air moving downstairs.

Work has begun on the office. Everything is packed away and the door and window have been installed. We've had to adjust our plans from a set of French doors to having one door that goes out the back. Originally I was bummed but it is saving us a ton of time and money. And that's always a good thing! 

But the coolest part of this whole process thus far has been the purchase of a new fridge. This thing is huge and it's beautiful. I'm sure that like most refrigerators, it will be full and dirty fairly soon. In the meantime, though I'm going to enjoy my appliance heaven.

Next week the 100-year-old tree in the back yard will be trimmed in preparation for solar to be installed on the house. And the new deck will be installed and perhaps the house will be painted. 

Of course, this means prepping plants and what not for the crews that will be descending upon us. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it! And, we're going to paint the office since its empty. Wish me luck!!

The Self-Proclaimed Sausage King of St. Paul

Eric and me with Mr. Linder himself.

My husband is on a one-man mission to become the Sausage King of St. Paul. Yes, that’s right. I didn't mistype. Eric, the sole proprietor of Ace’s Dog Sled, a hot dog cart, is working to get his name out and garner recognition. So far, word of mouth, Facebook, a website and a feeble attempt at Twitter have been our go-to marketing plan.

And, slowly but surely, he’s getting that support. People are coming to his corner at Wabasha and 5^th St. in downtown St. Paul on a regular basis. Those that aren't repeat customers are often recommended to come try “the best hot dog ever.”

Now, I’m not just blowing smoke because this guy happens to be my husband, but he does make a good dog. All-beef Vienna franks on a steamed poppy seed bun coupled with your choice of condiments from pickles, relish, tomatoes, onions, sauerkraut, sport peppers, mustard and ketchup.

One of the bonuses of living with the Sausage King is that I get to try his different creations. First, he had to practice on his Chicago dogs. That was a fun day. Another day, he wanted to try something new – a St. Paul River Dawg. I call it a cheeseburger hot dog because it’s cheese, pickle, mustard, tomato and onion on a dog and bun. Quite filling to be sure. Talk about having full meal!

And so the quest continues. If you know of anyone working in downtown St. Paul, tell them to stop by and meet the Sausage King of St. Paul. Tell him that Abe Frohman sent you!

Home Ownership - Projects Part 1

When Eric and I bought our home in February 2009, people said that the projects never end. They were right. We're about to start another set of projects which I think will take up the rest of our fall. Once they are done, it will be awesome but I hate that in between time. It means a messier-than-normal house, people I don’t know being in my space and large amounts of cash going out the window.

But again, it will be awesome when we're done. And it will increase the value of our home should we wish to ever sell.

First we're planning to put in an egress window. This will not only lighten up the basement but allow us to classify the basement as a fourth bedroom – i.e. driving up the value of the home. Second, we're planning to put in new doors on our second floor out to the deck. This will mean I can use the deck again – once we put it back up. We had to take it down last year to make some repairs to the roof below it so I've been suffering along for two summers without my rooftop garden oasis.

Those two projects alone mean not just a bunch of work during the process but also in preparation. This means I need to move a number of plants to make way for the egress window and I need to pack up my office before work starts on the second floor.

I really am looking forward to the project being done. Here are the before pictures. After pictures coming soon – hopefully! 

This is where the future egress window will be put. Note the plants I need to relocate today. Anybody like digging?

The midget door will soon be replaced with a set of French doors and a dormer. Then, at last, my deck can come back.

Chipotle's View on Antibiotics

Last week, there was a bit of a ripple in the headlines concerning Chipotle’s stance on “responsibly raised” meat. First, Bloomberg News ran a story announcing Chipotle may change its position on naturally raised beef (http://ow.ly/o29wy). According to the article, supplies are tight and the big chain is contemplating purchasing beef that has been treated with antibiotics.

Was this beef from an animal treated with antibiotics? Don't know, don't care.

But, the Denver-based fast food chain countered with an article in the Denver Post a day later stating their standards have not changed (http://ow.ly/o2ap6). However, according to the Denver Post, “The company did say it's considering tweaking its "responsibly raised" meat standards to allow meat from animals that have been given antibiotics to treat illnesses.”

The executive that was quoted in the Denver Post added that they have naturally raised beef about 85 percent of the time and that 15 percent of the time, due to beef shortages, they are forced to use conventionally raised beef – i.e. beef that could have been treated with antibotics at one point in time of its life. Stores that are forced to use this conventionally raised beef post signs stating the situation so customers are aware of the switch for the day. Note, from what I could read, the company will not allow meat from animals that have been given antibiotics to prevent illness or promote growth.

So here’s the caveat. From what I can tell, Chipotle is saying that is that it’s okay for them to possibly serve meat from animals that have been sick – but never from those that have been treated to remain healthy. So how does this work? Animal gets sick. Animal gets treated. Producer waits the proper withholding time according to the label before shipping said animal off to market.

Do you want to eat that meat? I think not. I, quite honestly, would prefer to have meat that has been treated to prevent disease. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this was a PR blunder by Chipotle? Have they lost customers?

A Few of My Favorite Things

I crave being in northern Wisconsin. I feel at home and at peace with myself when I’m there. On my most recent trip, I was trying to think about a few of my favorite things that I do, hear or see while I’m at the home farm.

• Being greeted by the family dog. Heidi is old but she knows my car and always welcomes me with kisses no matter how long I’ve been away.
• Walking the grounds with Mom. Each time I go home, my mom and I have a ritual of inspecting her awesome garden and then walking around the rest of the farm to look at her many flowerbeds. She’s a fountain of knowledge and I hope that just some of that sticks with me as the years go by.
• Listening to birds, bugs or frogs. By day you can hear the birds chirping or the bugs buzzing and at night you can hear the frogs singing. No matter what, these sounds are far superior to the traffic I hear in my backyard in St. Paul.
• Watching stars and seeing Northern Lights. While I can see stars in St. Paul, nothing is more dramatic than being in total darkness and silence on a clear, cool night on the farm. You can hear the frogs chirping, an occasional coyote yip in the distance and you can see stars for what seems like miles. Now add a light show in the form Northern Lights and that is pure perfection.

Don’t get me wrong – there are many things that I love and enjoy about where I live and work now. But nothing brings me solace like spending time at the farm. That’s where I truly feel alive.