Notes to Readers | D. Brent Miller

June 3, 2023

The Box of Old Photos

My wife and I were searching through our very unorganized boxes of photos recently, and at the bottom of one of those boxes was a shoebox of old Polaroid photos taken by me as a teenager. That Polaroid was my birthday present from Mom and Dad for my 13th birthday. I still have that camera.

I thought I had lost these to time. They are photos of the horses, motorcycles and cars that I owned as a teenager. I see plenty of stories coming, walking down memory lane. Stay tuned.

See you on the highway.

Brent

February 2, 2023

This is Personal, but for a Purpose

I started writing this piece a week ago. Should I or shouldn’t I? I decided to turn my story into one of encouragement for others.

Two and a half years ago, with my first-ever elevated PSA, my family physician said, “I think I feel something there. We should keep an eye on that.” That is the purpose of a prostate exam, to know if further examination is necessary. As an Army Vietnam Veteran, I decided to proceed through the Cincinnati VAMC for my health care. I am glad I did.

First, there were the exams and blood work which led to recommendations and an MRI which revealed a lesion on my prostate. A biopsy was ordered. The results of that was one cancerous sample. Five doctors agreed the best course of action was “keep an eye on it.” In medical terms and treatment, it’s called “Active Surveillance.” Sounds like something the CIA or FBI would do.

Six months later, another PSA and MRI showed no change. I began to think, “Well, this is good. Hope it stays this way.” Subsequent six-month follow ups and PSAs all looked good. Then, in the fall 2022, with a slightly elevated PSA, the doc said, “We should get an updated MRI.” That showed an increase in size of the lesion and another biopsy was ordered. That was last week and the results came two days ago.

The biopsied lesion went from one cancerous sample to four, but still considered low-grade prostate cancer. Active surveillance is still an option, but treatment is now in the conversation.

Even though I have been living with prostate cancer for two and a half years, this change has been an emotional roller coaster. I am so glad I have an understanding wife who is my biggest supporter. She is much more than that.

Why does the C-word scare us so? I cannot express how much I appreciate the doctors and nurses of my health care team at the VA. They have been excellent. Professional. Personable. I feel fortunate to have them.

It’s a little scary, but my doctors have told me this was caught early, and it’s not going to kill me. However, it’s still a roller coaster ride of emotions.

The Purpose for this Post

I could rattle off some of the stats about men and prostate cancer, but that info is available elsewhere. What I want to do is to encourage men to have that annual prostate exam. Begin with the PSA which is an indicator. And, ladies, encourage your man to get that exam. Early detection is the best defense for a longer and happy life.

Be well, my friends. I love you all.

See you on the highway.

Brent

January 25, 2023

Appetizer Failure. Or, was it?

I frequently post pictures and descriptions of the food I cook. Pizzas, Fish. Steaks. Casseroles. Turkey on the grill. Looks good and I get compliments, especially on Facebook. So, it is only fair that I post a food failure.

This is the cheesy bread that I attempted to make, looking into the trash can. It is a recipe that I learned and often purchased when I was a professor at Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, (1989-1993). I would go over to the student center cafeteria for lunch and order a salad and some cheesy bread. It was so delicious. Makes a great appetizer too.

This attempt was a failure because I accidently removed the cap of the seasoning instead of popping the lid to shake some on the cheese-onion-mayo mixture.

I screwed that cap off without thinking and poured a whole bunch of salt and pepper blend onto my cheese mixture. Damn.

Well, thinking I at least need to finish the appetizer and give my effort a taste test. Maybe it was not too much. I soon learned that was not the case. I took one bite. The whole batch of cheese mix and the three appetizers immediately went into the trash where it belonged. Now, off to the grocery store to replenish supplies.

If properly done, it is grated cheese, finely chopped onion, mayo, with a little salt and pepper, spread on French or Italian bread, and a quick broil in the oven to melt the cheese. It’s delicious. Not willing to admit defeat, and to learn from this experience, I tried it again the next day to accompany a bowl of chili. The cheesy bread was outstanding. Chili too.

The appetizer is best if the bread is slightly toasted before topping it with the cheesy mix. You get a better crunch when taking a bite.

Pop it into the oven under the broiler. Keep an eye on it. It does not take long for the cheesy mix to start bubbling. Wait for just that right amount of browning.

Take it out of the oven. It should look like this.

Transfer to your plate and enjoy.

Yum. That was oh-so good.

Failure is only a failure if one stops at that point. One failure can be a learning experience resulting in success. In other words, try, try again until you succeed.

See you on the highway … or maybe at the grocery store.

Brent

November 13, 2022

First Snow

It was bound to come sooner or later. First snow.

See you on the highway.

Brent

October 25, 2022

Reaching a goal for 2022

“Hey, Google. How many miles does the average motorcyclist ride per year?”

Around 3,000 miles

While the average annual mileage of a car ranges between 10,000 to 15,000 miles, motorcycles spend much less time on the Conyers roads. In fact, the average annual mileage for a motorcycle is around 3,000 miles.

That does not surprise me. Of course, that is an average. I have a riding buddy, who reports that he has only put about 600 miles on his Harley this year. We have not been doing a lot of rides together.

I have a few friends like Bob Stransky and Kith Birkenstock who put about 3,000 miles or more on their bikes per month. We tease Kith, who lives in the Atlanta area that he frequently rides to Colorado for lunch. Bob is either riding his BMW GS or his Honda ADV 150 scooter to grab National Park stamps.

As for me, my riding in the past few years has been dismal. The most miles I ever put on a motorcycle in one year was 13,367 in 2010. That was a year that I was riding my 2008 V-Strom 650 on several trips in the East and West. I have several years with five-digit mileage.

And that brings us to today, and the achievement of a goal. I planned to ride at least 6,000 miles this year. That’s a lot more than the past few with Covid and all. A measly 6,000 miles—not even half of my record 2010 year.

But I did it.

Today, I only needed 30.5 miles to reach 6,000 miles for the year, and about 1.5 miles north of Blanchester, Ohio, on SR 123, I pulled over to document the moment.

At 2:40 p.m. EDT, with 4,093 miles on my Moto Guzzi V85tt, and 30.5 miles on the trip meter, I reached the 6,000-mile mark. Everything from here to Dec. 31 is just bonus miles.

Three motorcycles were used to reach this moment. My 2017 Suzuki V-Strom, which I traded on the Moto Guzzi V85tt in March, and my Moto Guzzi V7iii Rough. Love those Guzzis.

See you on the highway.

Brent