Chicken Soup for the Soul ‘Friend Friday’ Podcast with Amy Newmark

I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Amy Newmark on the Chicken Soup for the Soul ‘Friend Friday’ podcast. We discussed my stories, “Changing More Than Diapers” in the Empowered Woman book, about my experiences as an engineering student and coming full circle as an engineering professor, and “Teacher in a Fur Coat” in The Dog Really […]

June 2nd is Kindness for Kate Day!

Let’s make the next week Kindness for Kate Week! Think of ways to show kindness throughout the week. What are you planning to do? Thanks for helping to make the world a kinder place.

On the Move

Over the summer I was offered a new job in Wisconsin, the state where I grew up. I wanted to move back closer to my family, and I love the Madison area. So in September, after I had lived in Minnesota for 31 years, and in the same house for almost 26 years, we made […]

Finding Our Way

Fall is here already. Where did the summer go? I had vowed that this summer would be different from last year, when Chase was diagnosed with colon cancer just after the 4th of July. The rest of that summer revolved around his care and cancer treatments. Then we discovered in September that Bandit had multiple […]

A Decade of Devotion

We lost Bandit to multiple myeloma in March, and our little pack continues to find its way. When Bandit’s body was failing and I realized he was in pain, it became apparent that he was ready to go. But I could tell he was concerned about how we would manage without him. So we spent […]

Grateful for the Journey

Chase and I are planning a party. We’re celebrating one year of the Dog Gone Reading Program at the Valley Library, where the kids read to Chase to improve their reading skills. Ginny the librarian, the kids, and their families will join us on a Saturday to celebrate, hear Chase’s story, present participation awards to […]

Living with It… and Rocking it Out

First, an update on how Bandit and Chase are doing. Chase completed 21 radiation therapy treatments for colonic adenocarcinoma on August 23rd. He had a stellar follow-up appointment two weeks later. On September 24th he returned to his volunteer mission at the local library, where kids read to him. On October 15th, he had a […]

My Library Dog

Tuesday was Chase’s library day. It was so inspiring to see the kids read to him. Even over the summer, some of them have improved so much. I love to see kids get excited about books. When many adults don’t read books any more, it’s good to see a younger generation being inspired by them. […]

Derailing the Train

Well, I certainly didn’t see this coming. My oh-so-special dog Chase has been diagnosed with cancer. As cancer does, it came like a blow to the gut when least expected, and suddenly figuring out what to do about this fast-growing disease was our top priority. Chase had blood in his stools for a few months, […]

The Moose that Wouldn’t Move

Remember when Jeanne met Sam in Wisconsin near the orange moose? In September, my cattle dog Bandit was traveling with me. On our way to visit family, we made a pit stop near the orange moose. I took Bandit out for a potty break, and then realized that he had not seen the moose before. […]